Albus Potter and the Influence of the Dark Side
by DarkLordSupporter
Summary: Albus Potter returns for his third year at Hogwarts. The enemy's rise continues and they feel that they can get anything they want. Their attention turns from objects to people. They want to add to their ever growing number of followers. Sequel to Albus Potter and the Thing They Feared. 3 of 7 in my Albus Potter series
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: This story is based on the characters and worlds which were created by and belong to J.K. Rowling**

**A/N: So, we set off on the journey of Albus' third year. I hope you enjoy it**

**1:Prologue **

The rain thudded down as the goblin stood in the narrow, tree lined street. He stood off to one side, doing his best to stay under the oberhanging canopy of the great ash trees which lined the narrow roadway. Seeing as this was the only building in sight, the goblin presumed that he must be in the right place. He continued along the street which was lit only by the glow of the setting sun. The building was run down and shabby in appearance except for the door which, the goblin guessed, was made of metal and painted black. Curling his long fingers into a fist he knocked loudly on the door and the sound he made confirmed his suspicions. It was indeed a metal door. He wondered why they would have such a new door which stood out. He waited a few moments and the door swung open. A middle aged man with a wrinkled face and thinning grey black hair stood before him. His black robes billowed from the slight wind outside and he showed the goblin inside. The narrow hallway was lined with six doors, three on either side and a seventh one at the end. It was as poor in appearance as the exterior of the house. A staircase to the goblin's right wound its way up through the building. A quick glance towards the top was brought to an end by the man's voice. "Welcome, Mr Grogue" the man's voice wasn't as expected. It was relatively high pitched and he spoke with a slight stutter. "Mr Malfoy is waiting in the parlour. Follow me" the man walked straight down the hallway and through the door at the end. This room was like walking into a completely different building. A huge chandelier hung from the ceiling, the walls were covered in shelves which were almost overflowing with books. Small portraits in frames sat in front of the bottom row of books. A fire was roaring in the grate to Grogue's left. Three high backed chairs were placed in the room, two of them facing the other one which was divided by an elegant table of a marble base and a glass top. Lucius Malfoy rose from his chair and shook Grogue's hand.

"Mr Grogue, I, we, appreciate you travelling to here" Lucius said kindly, his mouth curving into a smile.

"It was really no problem, Mr Malfoy" the goblin replied taking the seat the middle aged man had gestured for him to sit into.

"This is my associate Jonathan Perch." Lucius said pointing at the man who had answered the door. They both sat and Lucius continued to smile. "Now, I'm sure you have an idea of why I summoned you here this evening"

"I would like you to clarify exactly what you need."

"I require your services" Lucius replied.

"You know that I no longer work at Gringotts" Grogue replied. "I no longer offer the services you have previously availed of"

"No, you are mistaken. We require the other service you offer. I know exactly what you are capable of, you're the best at it and the price is irrelevant to me. You know the extent of my wealth even if I did give much of it to my son"

"I do, Mr Malfoy. What, exactly, do you require me to do?" Grogue asked, sitting forward slightly in his chair. Lucius made the same movement and put his hand inside the chest area of his robes.

"I have taken the time to draw up this contract. It outlines exactly what we want you to do, the time frame, everything. The contract is magically binding. Breaking it can result in many different consequences, the worst scenario is death" Grogue sat back in his chair and began to read quickly. He put the roll of parchment back onto the table, beside the quill and bottle of ink.

"Everything seems in order to me. I have, however, one thing to add. If you or any of your associates knowingly interferes with my work, the contract is rendered null and void."

"That seems fair" Lucius said and the goblin clicked his fingers and what he had just said appeared on the roll of parchment. Grogue picked up the quill, dipped it in the ink and lingered over the parchment for a moment before signing.

"And this," Grogue said withdrawing a small card from inside his robes, "is my price." He dropped the card on the table in front of Lucius Malfoy. Lucius picked it up and simply nodded his head.

"Very well" Lucius said. "Remember the terms of the contract you sign. You will report to us monthly from the start of your work"

"That is no problem. I will begin my preparation as soon as I return to my place of residence. I must tell you, however, that I will not be able to start at the date you have listed. I have another job to work until two months after that. I hope that that doesn't bother you."

"Well, if you're as good as everyone says you are, then two months less than you could have shouldn't pose a problem to you. I expect you'll do everything we need in the shorter time frame." Lucius replied.

"It should be no problem but I can tell you now, my abilities aren't limitless. I can only do everything to the best of my abilities" the goblin replied.

"Very well. Would you mind showing yourself out, we have business to attend to immediately" Lucius said

"No problem at all" Grogue replied unhappily but did a very good job hiding his displeasure. The goblin hobbled his way out of the room and closed the door but paused as he shut it. Lucius Malfoy and Perch made no attempt to keep their voices down and Grogue decided to linger a little longer. In his long history of acquaintance with the Malfoy family, they've always been an interesting bunch. Although he never questioned his clients, he often wondered the motive behind it. Nonetheless, he always did as he was asked.

"Yes, yes" he heard Lucius Malfoy say "He is working on it as we speak"

"How long will it take him?" Perch asked.

"He's no closer than he was the last time you two spoke. He left me in charge of recruiting as well as getting Grogue on board. He is working on it but he is finding it difficult. I'm not sure but I have given him all the clues I could. He insisted upon taking this task himself and I'm not so sure about how long it will take."

"Very well. I think that he should bring someone with him but Parker is a very stubborn man."

"Indeed, he continues to plot ways to get the Potter boy even when there are other tasks at hand. But, hopefully the Dark Lord may rise again"

"Exactly. He seems to be obsessed with the Potter boy" Perch said.

"He is. The Potter boy has got the best of him twice, he's a vengeful person. He won't forget about young Albus Potter until he has silenced him forever. Anyway, let us continue our business" Grogue heard the shuffling of feet inside the room and quickly made his way out the front door. Darkness had fallen completely when Grogue emerged from the building. The rain continued to fall and Grogue quickly began his return journey.

* * *

Michael Parker was unknown outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland his trip was made much easier by this fact. He walked with the Resurrection Stone securely tucked in his pocket. Unsure of the exact location of what he was looking for, he couldn't Apparate. His journey had lasted for longer than he had expected but he should have known that his search was not going to be easy. He had talked to many of the natives and none of them could corroborate the stories he had heard but that didn't bother him. He knew it was here, somewhere in this country but where exactly he wasn't sure. He knew it was located deep in a forest but in a country that was dense with forestry, it made his task all the more difficult. He had so far searched one forest, the largest of the country but to no avail. He couldn't say that he was one hundred percent sure that he searched every square meter of the forest but he did most of it, enough to know that what he sought after wasn't there. He knew that finding it would be much easier than it had been to locate the Resurrection Stone mostly because of the size difference. The difficult part was locating the correct forest.

He was soon to begin his search of the second woodland, the next largest but first, he would have to return to his headquarters in the country. This task was not one to be carried out by one man but by several men so, as the leader of an ever growing number of men who agreed with his ideals, he would bring one or two more whom he could fully trust for only a small number, five or six, knew of his exact plan. These were the people closest to him and he didn't feel the need to tell anyone else. The people who knew were the ones who had come to him when he needed them most, they were the only people he could trust. The others who followed him were there to do his bidding. They were the sacrificial lambs.

Parker walked the narrow pathway to the dilapidated looking building. He stormed through the door and into the parlour where Lucius Malfoy and Perch stood talking still.

"This is no job for one man."

"We've been trying to tell you that" Lucius Malfoy said. "But you didn't listen to us. At least you realised sooner rather than later" Parker went on as if he hadn't heard what Lucius had said.

"Perch and Nott, wherever he is, are coming with me. You know what we're trying to do. Lucius, you're in charge here until we get back I'm not sure how long this will take." Parker ordered. "We're out of here in the morning"


	2. The World Cup

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**2: The World Cup**

"James, get out of bed, we have to be there on time. They will be gone without us. They don't wait for well known wizards in the Muggle world!" Harry shouted from the base of the stairs. Albus came down the stairs and dropped his bag at the front door. "Al, go up and I give you full permission to pull him out of the bed and onto the floor. I'm just happy that your mother forced you to pack your bags last night." Albus nodded and made his way up the stairs, two at a time. He barged into his brother's room to find James pulling on a jumper.

"I'm on my way, don't worry" James said as Albus entered. "Go on" James told him as he picked up his bag and followed his brother down the stairs.

"About time" Harry said as the three made their way to the fireplace. Harry ushered them towards the fireplace. "You're Flooing to the W.W.P in Holyhead. I'm going to Apparate with the bags. Go on James" James did as he was told and Albus followed suit. They were soon standing in a dark, dank and dusty pub by themselves. There were four fireplaces and people emerged from them. The pub was the bare minimum with a bar stacked with glasses and various drinks behind it. There was a scattering of tables and chairs, many of which were vacant. The barman didn't take too much notice on the flow of people Flooing in and passing out through the door. Harry appeared beside his two sons with a crack.

"Come on" Harry said placing an arm on the shoulder of each of his sons and guiding them out of the pub.

"What's that place?" Albus asked.

"It's a wizard pub here." Harry explained. "The Ministry said no to people Flooing and Apparating over to Ireland. Their Ministry opposed too. So they told everyone to use Muggle transport. Either boats or planes. Boats were the choice for all these people so they were told to Floo to this pub and board the boat just up here. Come on" Harry said. They walked to the port which was all of two hundred metres away and they were soon aboard the boat's deck

* * *

After a three hour journey, the Potters disembarked the Muggle ferry and walked the port of Dublin, Ireland. "What are we doing now Dad?" James asked.

"Well, that's the train station there" Harry said as they walked the streets of Muggle Dublin. They had got the bus from the port and now had a short walk over the bridge and across the road to the station. As they entered, James and Albus traded looks of shock at the modern building. Muggle food shops and newsagents. People didn't pay any notice to each other as they went about their daily business. Birds, pigeons Albus guessed, walked the areas near the doors. People passed between the lobby area and the platform area.

"This is nothing like King's Cross" Albus said.

"You're dead right. It's smaller but it looks really new" James added.

"It's actually quite old but has been modernised. I've got the tickets now let's go. The train leaves in five minutes" Harry said. Albus and James followed their father as he showed them how to insert the tickets into the machines to open the gates. Albus and James traded looks that said "these Muggles really can cope without magic" They walked to platform six as the where the very modern and unfamiliar looking train waited. The green and white train had its doors opened.

"Really different to the Hogwart's Express" James said as they took their seats in a nearly empty carriage. There were only two other people in it and Albus had seen them come out of the fireplace in the pub and knew they were wizards.

The train began to move slowly but picked up speed as they moved out of the station and through a railway line that was lined with trees and bushed. There was an announcement made in Irish, the Potters guessed, but they didn't understand a word of it. The same announcement was made again but this time in English.

"Welcome aboard our Iarnróid Éireann train, a non-stop journey to Athlone" the voice said

"How come mum and Lily get to travel with the Ministry but we have to go the Muggle way?" James asked

"Well, your mother is the reporter for the Daily Prophet for the match and she was allowed to bring one guest. We already had tickets so she brought Lily"

"James, who's using your other ticket?" Albus asked his brother.

"Well, I didn't want to choose between any of our cousins, you know, pick one and the rest get upset so I asked Teddy because none of them will get angry if it's him. He's making his own over and we're meeting him there" James explained.

"Well, you know that he started working at Quality Quidditch Supplies?" Albus nodded and James continued. "He's been in Ireland since before the start of the World Cup because he was part of the delivery team that brought the new brooms over for the teams that had ordered them. Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, I think were the national teams that had ordered them from QQS anyway."

The journey continued in silence until Albus asked a question he had wondered about for a while.

"Dad, why did wizards and Muggles used to work together but now we hide from them?" Albus asked.

"I asked this question before and got a very long answer from Hermione. Mine will not be as long and will be much simpler. So, the Royal Family, the queen etc., are wizards and witches. They are the first known witches and wizards and that's why they had such a great empire. They used magic to colonise all the countries they did. Obviously there were witches and wizards in Britain and Ireland but then wizardry began to spread and the countries were able to fight magic with magic and win. The USA did it first and then it took Ireland a little longer but they got there. Or something like that, I can't remember it fully or if that's factually right but that's the main points." Harry said.

"Makes sense." James said. "How much more travelling to we have once we get to Athlone?"

"Well, we're meeting Luke and his mother just outside the train station and we're going to their house. We're going to go by Portkey to the stadium then. There's a group in the area Luke lives in going and there was a portkey organised to stagger arrivals. There's obviously going to be a big crowd because it's Ireland and England in the final. It's a one hundred thousand capacity stadium and that will be full to the brim." Harry explained as the train pulled into the station. The Potters took their bags and got off the train. This station was much smaller, a small square building with the ticket counter and a waiting area. Not too much more. They passed through the building with ease and were greeted by Luke and his mother outside the station.

* * *

A short car journey to just outside the town of Athlone brought a huge change in the surroundings. A lot of green met Albus' eyes as the journeyed to the countryside of Ireland. Luke's house was in a small village named Bellin. It was very simple, a bungalow with four bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. The rooms were quite large and Albus quite liked it. As they entered, there were two people already in the living room. Harry and Luke's mother Mary, went to the kitchen for what Luke's mother said was 'a cuppa'. A girl, about twenty with long blonde hair and, Albus had to admit, quite a pretty face. The other was a young boy, Luke's brother, Albus presumed. "This is my brother, Paddy, he's just gone eleven" Luke said. "And my sister Aoife" he said gesturing to the girl. "She finished at Hogwarts the year before I started. A Gryffindor, would you believe" Luke said.

"Not too hard to believe really, I know exactly how things like this can happen" Albus said but was interrupted by James

"I remember you" James said. "You were a prefect. You gave me a detention"

"Ah yes, James Potter" she said smiling. "I remember giving you detention on more than one occasion. I remember Luke telling us that Albus Potter was in Slytherin, one of his best friends and I thought of you James. I was hoping that your brother wouldn't get my brother in as much trouble as you got in to" she said. James smiled at the older girl, obviously remembering the occasions. "I did wonder however how Luke here got sorted into Slytherin" she said.

"I wondered that about Al too" James said.

"It makes me wonder about Paddy" Aoife said. "What house will he go to. I remember my father well enough. He died when Paddy was only a baby. I was just about to start Hogwarts. When Luke got sorted into Slytherin, I asked her what house he was in. I know my mother was in Hufflepuff and our father was in Ravenclaw. He came from a pure-blood family but we never knew them, they all perished in the Battle of Hogwarts, and that explained everything for me really." Aoife explained. "So really, Paddy could go to any of the four Houses and none of them would surprise me. It's up to him really" Paddy sat in the armchair but didn't say anything. Albus noticed how much he looked like Luke. They shared the same hair, similar facial features and they were both built the same.

Harry and Mary re-entered the room. Mary spoke "Albus, you're staying in Luke's room with him and Paddy. Harry and James, you two are staying in Paddy's room. Luke, show Albus where to put his stuff" Luke got out of the chair and only then did Albus realise how much Luke had grown over the summer. The pair were roughly the same height where Albus had always been a fair bit taller than his Irish friend.

"Come on" Luke said. They walked through the hallway and Luke turned into the last room on the left. It was, according to Luke, the smallest room in the house and was very simple. A wardrobe, a dresser and a night stand accompanied a bed and two smaller camp beds.

"It's not much but it's all I need really" Luke said. Take your pick now, Paddy hasn't decided which bed he's in yet"

"I'll take this one" Albus said putting his bag on the bed farthest from the door. "He looks like a mini you" Albus said.

"You're not the first one to say that" Luke said exasperated. "And I'm sure you won't be the last"

"It's true though. He reminded me of you in first year" Albus said.

"Anyway," Luke said, a change in his tone very evident, "ready for the game tonight?"

"Yeah, just gotta change. Got all my England stuff here in my bag" Albus replied, opening his bag and withdrawing a large England flag, a England jersey and a large, top hat like hat bearing the English flag. Luke went to his wardrobe and came back with the Irish tricolour flag, an Ireland jersey and a green cap with small Irish flags on the side and a shamrock in the centre. There was a knock on the door and Luke's mother poked her head in.

"Dinner's in about ten minutes. Get yourselves ready now, put on whatever you want and have everything else ready because you're going just after dinner." They both nodded their understanding and began to change into the clothes they would wear to the match. Albus wore a lot of red and white while Luke was bedecked in a lot of green. They left the flags and hats on the bed and went down to the kitchen. Similar to Albus, James made it clear that he was supporting England as his jumper bore the red rose and 'ENGLAND' written across it in large white letters.

* * *

A ten minute walk through fields brought them to their desired location. A group of men, many accompanied by young children, were waiting around and one of them was holding an old bucket. "Jus' in time" one of the men said. "Gather 'round" he said loudly and offered the bucket to the gathered crowd. Everyone put some part of themselves touching the bucket and after a few seconds, Albus felt a jerk near his naval and he was soon hurtling through the air.

"Alrigh' let go" a gruff voice said and everyone released the bucket which spun off to the side. The children all landed face first onto the ground but the adults were much more experienced and appeared that they were floating to the ground. Harry helped Albus to his feet and they went to gather their group.

"Ah, from Bellin and the surrounding area" a man said to Albus' left and he looked up to see him holding the bucket. "Blue path for the Collins Stand, yellow path for the Hogan Stand, red path for the Davitt Stand and green path for 'the Hill'." the man said to the group that had just arrived. They all turned the other way and set off for the stadium.

"Where are we?" James asked his father. Harry took the tickets out of his pocket and looked at them.

"We're in the Hogan Stand, come on, only and hour until the start" They joined the group of supporters who were taking the yellow path. Despite a clear domination of fans wearing green, there was a large number of people supporting England. Albus' excitement began to build as they were brought along in the throng of the crowd.

* * *

It had been a long walk, longer than they had anticipated but they were soon making their way up the steps to their seats in the Hogan Stand. About halfway up, Harry directed them towards the entrance to the seating area. As they emerged up the steps and they could finally see the amazing stadium. Three massive stands were erected and covered three sides of the pitch. The other side was covered by a concrete terrace which was packed with Ireland fans. The standing supporters were soon singing their support for their team.

"This way" Harry said leading them towards their seats. "We're here" Harry said as they went into the area where all the seats held a 'RESERVED' tag and they took their assigned seats in the near empty area, the only other seat was occupied by Kingsley Shacklebolt who was now engaged in a conversation with his father.

The seats filled around them and nobody passed them any notice as the stadium itself was soon nearly full to capacity. A man wearing green robes bearing the emblem of the Irish Quidditch team entered and greeted Harry like an old friend. They were immersed in conversation when Harry broke away and the man followed. "Boys, this is the President of the Quidditch Association of Ireland, Seamus Finnigan" Harry said. Seamus shook hands with the three boys. "Seamus got us these tickets."

"I went to school with this lad, and I'll tell ya, he liked a bit of adventure. Don't think he ever had a quiet year at Hogwarts, did ya Harry?" Seamus said to Albus and James in particular.

"Ah, it always seemed to involve me" Harry said. "I wasn't going to let it pass me by when it was me that was the target"

"True, anyway, I have to run because I'm making a speech in the tunnel to both teams."

"Where's Scorpius?" Luke asked but by time he looked up the Scorpius and his father were making their way into their seats. They were at the back of the reserved area but Scorpius left his things on the floor underneath his seat and made his way down to the two boys.

"Luke was just asking where you were. I was going to say that maybe your tickets were in a different part of the stadium" Albus said as Scorpius sat down in Harry's seat as the Head Auror resumed his conversation with the Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"No, dad said that your dad got the tickets for him and he just paid him for them" Scorpius said. "Dad had to work the day the tickets went on sale so he didn't get them. Or that's what he told me anyway" Scorpius said.

"Scorpius" Albus said suddenly. "I met Luke's brother, he's like a little Luke!"

"No way!" Scorpius said.

"Yeah, my little brother is like a mini me the same way that both of you are mini versions of your parents, or nearly the same as they were at your age" Luke said.

"He has got a point there" Albus replied.

"Suppose so" Scorpius added.

"He's got a sister too" Albus said. "Another thing he didn't tell us"

"Well, you're hardly going to say 'Hey guys, did you know that I have a brother who's going to be just gone eleven by time we finish for the summer and a twenty year old sister who was in Gryffindor, the greatest rival of Slytherin, the house I'm in" Luke said.

"But you never talked about them. If I'm honest, I always presumed that you were an only child, like myself"

"It never really came up and it's not so easy for you guys to come to my house" Luke said. The other two agreed as Albus jumped in his seat. Teddy Lupin stood behind him with his hands around Albus' shoulders. Luke and Scorpius laughed as Albus recovered from the fright.

"Fifteen minutes to spare" Teddy said grinning. "Didn't know if I was going to make it. Lot of problems getting from Donegal this morning. Went up to visit a friend and the weather didn't want to co-operate. I knew we weren't supposed to Apparate in unless it was an emergency and I thought being late was a big enough emergency! Just don't tell your dad that" he said with a serious look at Albus.

"How're you Teddy" James said, retaking his seat a few minutes later as the area was now full. It seemed to be split with the English representatives on the left hand side and the Irish on the right. Luke was the obvious exception but sat on the rightmost seat, close as possible to the Irish representatives. Seamus Finnigan had returned and was soon ready to welcome the teams onto the pitch. England came first, introduced as the England national team. They flew onto the pitch in their red robes trimmed with white. Their mascot was a trio of very well trained lions, the three lions was considered a national symbol of England and was also part of the badge of the Quidditch team. The noise was incredible as the English made themselves known, Albus, James, Scorpius and Teddy included. The Irish team's mascots were to be leprechauns who threw leprechaun gold into the crowd as they formed a large shamrock in the sky leading the way for the team to enter the fray.

The welcome the Irish team received was raucous. As the seven men bedecked in green robes trimmed with white and orange into the cacophony of noise, Luke cheered loudly and the Irish fans began singing:

_Come on, you boys in green! Come on, you boys in green!_

Seamus Finnigan's voice was amplified around the stadium. "If you would please be upstanding and respectful for the national anthems of both countries" Everyone who was seated rose and a band that had gathered on the field began to play the English national anthem. The end was met with loud cheers and cries of "Come on England!". As the band prepared to play the Irish anthem, every Irish person turned and faced the flag which flew at the back of the hill. Not only that, but the anthem was sung loudly by the fans and as soon as they came to the last line, the singing had turned into screams of "Come on Ireland" and chanting of "Ireland! Ireland!"

The game was finally ready to start as the teams shook hands and mounted their brooms. A voice boomed around the stadium but it wasn't that of Seamus Finnigan. Albus turned and saw a young man, about twenty five with tight blonde hair wearing black robes. "England line out as follows; Carroll, Johnson, Coles, Thompson, Hartley, Hatton and Hassett is the seeker. Ireland start with Nagle, Allen, McMahon, Healy, Connolly, Fox and Brookes. Today's referee is Japanese official Shinji Miyaichi. And... he gets the game underway. Ireland take early possession through Healy who offloads to Fox. He's charging through the middle..." the commentator's voice was extremely professional. "Oh, a well placed Coles Bludger dislodges the Quaffle. England take possession with Hartley and three quick passes between the Chasers but the Iirsh defence stand up to the pressure and regain possession" the commentator said. "England beat the world number two Japan while Ireland were much the better side in their semi final against Australia. Both games were over in under forty minutes so the teams should be very refreshed" the commentator said. The game was scoreless for the first fifteen minutes as the teams defences were on top. High pressure on the Quaffle and some excellently placed Bludgers meant that nobody had a clear chance of scoring a goal. "A nervous start for both teams here. Very cagey in attack and the keepers have been unworked. England launch an attack with a lot of speed in the passing. And Hatton finds a hole in the Irish defence, a pass through to Thompson who is one on one with Nagle. Thompson shoots but Nagle saves and... GOAL ENGLAND!" the commentator roared and a loud cheer met this. "Nagle saved the original shot but could only parry back to Thompson who finished with the second attempt." England led ten nil but the intensity of the game meant that was the only score for the first half an hour. The game continued as a low scoring affair as both defences and Beaters were on top while the Seekers were yet to catch a glimpse of the Snitch. The two Seekers were redundant in the game as the teams continued to make small mistakes going forward because of the pressure of the defence.

The atmosphere died down as the game neared the end of the second hour of play with the score at forty points to fifty. England held the narrow lead but the game never got away from either side. "Thompson charges forward" the commentator had even lost the enthusiasm in his voice, Teddy and Harry had stopped shouting at the players and Luke and Albus had stopped cheering for every fumble of the Quaffle or a well placed Bludger. The stadium was quiet and the game needed something to spark it into life. As a third hour of play started, Hassett and Brookes were both drawn into a battle. "Ireland level the game at sixty points apiece and... WOW.. look at the speed of those new Nimbus models. Both teams are on them and Brookes and Hassett are neck and neck. It's going to be a battle of skill as both men go into a dive after the Snitch. The small golden ball seems to sense a chase as it weaves and dives around the pitch. The Seekers are following every movement of the Snitch" The stadium was stoked into life at this chase. The one hundred thousand urged their Seeker to end the game and win it for their side. The Beaters were now pelting the Bludgers at the Seekers but none of them hit the target. The Snitch was now diving downwards and as they pair neared the ground, two Bludgers came towards them. Brookes rolled out of the way while Hassett was forced to pull up to a quick stop. The Snitch was gone and the game resumed to the way it had been. Seventy points to eighty in England's favour meant that Luke, along with every other Irish person in the stadium, was groaning as Healy missed a penalty after being fouled by Hartley with an elbow to the face. A bloody nose was quickly resolved but the penalty was saved and England kept the narrow lead. The stadium returned to its state of tired quietness.

After five hours and forty five minutes of play, the intensity and speed had dropped but the players were still giving it their all, the Snitch made a reappearance. Brookes had a headstart but thanks to a Bludger from Johnson, Hassett made up ground and the pair went into a climb. They chased the Snitch and were soon on the way back down as the Snitch went up but arced at the top of its flight and began to travel back down. The Seekers followed it, Brookes turned quicker and began the dive first. Hassett was in close pursuit. All the Irish people in stadium rose to their feet. "Brookes is closing on the Snitch. Everyone in green is on their feet. They haven't won the World Cup since nineteen ninety four" the commentator said. "Brookes begins to pull out of the dive but as he reaches for the Snitch, he tumbles head first off his broom." A loud 'ohh' rang out from the Irish fans but Hassett had pulled up. Brookes had hit the ground hard but he got slowly to his feet and raised his right arm. The Irish crowd erupted into cheers as the referee signalled that the Snitch had been caught. Luke was jumping up and down, as was the other Irish representatives in the surrounding area. Albus sat with his head in his hands.

"Wow! What a catch by Brookes and Ireland win two hundred and twenty to ninety. That shows us all why he is called as the best Seeker in the world. Absolutely fabulous"

* * *

The journey back to Luke's house was much more enjoyable for Luke than it was for Harry, James and Albus. Luke was almost over excited while the other three were dejected at the result. Luke knew that the others weren't as happy as he was and didn't say too much but the broad smile never left his face.

On arrival at Luke's house, Mary O' Brien welcomed them back with a cup of tea and a sandwich. It was nearly three in the morning when they got back because of the length of the match and both Aoife and Paddy were in bed. Luke was relieved, he didn't want to have to describe what it was like to watch Ireland win the Quidditch World Cup for the first time in twenty five years. Albus and Luke silently went to bed and it didn't take long for them to fall asleep.

The following morning meant a long regalement of the previous night's events'. Despite the fact that the O' Brien family listened to the game on WWN, Paddy wanted to hear Luke's version of the game. Albus and James remained silent as Harry added the odd bit to Luke's story over breakfast. Paddy was enthralled by the story even though he knew what was going to happen.

After breakfast, the Potters readied themselves to leave. They were waved goodbye to the O' Briens as Albus and James Side-Along Apparated with Harry to the Leprechaun Lodge in Dublin where they would be able to Floo back to their house. "I thought that we weren't able to Floo" James said as he recovered from the nauseating sensation of Apparation.

"Yeah but I'm working this evening so I got special permission for us to return via the Floo network. Being Head Auror had its perks when the Ministry need you" Harry said. Albus and James smiled as they began their journey home and about ten minutes later, stood in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. Ginny and Lily were already seated there, they had returned the previous night thanks to Ginny's position in the Daily Prophet. Albus and James both muttered that they were going to bed because they had only got about six hours sleep the previous night and trudged up to their bedrooms. "I'm going to do the same" Harry said between yawns.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sure that you all could have guessed that a new chapter will be uploaded every Saturday**


	3. Beginning Again

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**A/N: I know the update is late but my internet has been down all week until now. I apologise but hope you enjoy.**

**3: Beginning Again**

"We have ten minutes, it's okay" Ginny said as the five Potters walked through King's Cross Station, three trolleys in front of them.

"Daddy" Lily said. "Will you please tell us if you're teaching this year"

"No, I've already told you that I've made a decision but it's going to be a surprise. You'll find out later on" Harry said to his daughter.

"I can't wait that long" Lily moaned.

"Look on the bright side" Albus said. "You get to start Hogwarts this year" James nodded as his brother spoke.

"I suppose" Lily said the smile returning to her face. As they approached the barrier between the magical and Muggle worlds, Ginny told Albus and James to go on through and they were followed by Harry.

"Ready?" Ginny asked Lily who nodded. "Let's go" Ginny said as the pair walked briskly which soon turned to a light jog at the wall. They emerged onto Platform 9 ¾ and, although Lily had been there before, she saw it in a completely different light now that she would be starting Hogwarts. Lily gazed happily around the platform as Harry made sure that all the trunks and owls were placed securely onto the train.

"Bye mum, dad" James said as he was drawn into a hug by his mother. "I'll see you at Christmas mum. This is my fourth year, we've been through this" James continued as he took off onto the train and began loooking for his friends, pulling his trunk behind him.

"Yeah, but I don't have any of you in the house now" Ginny said and she began to weep slightly. "You're not babies anymore, you're all grown up." Ginny said wiping her eyes. "Go on James, find your friends" James was pretty much on his way when his mother told him to go. Ginny had pulled Albus into a hug. "I'll see you at Christmas. Now go on, you only have," she paused and looked at the clock, "three minutes. You have three minutes" Albus trotted away after saying goodbye to his father and hopped onto the train. He stopped, turned back around and remembered his first day. He went back and waited for Lily to finish saying goodbye to their parents. Lily followed him onto the train and the pair walked together through the narrow corridor of the train, both pulling their trunks along with them. Albus also had to carry his owl cage while Lily had brought a cat whose cage was precariously placed on top of her trunk as she pulled it along. As per usual, all the compartments were filled with students and Albus looked in every compartment window attempting to find Luke or Scorpius. His task was made easier by the fact that Scorpius had boarded the train just after him and had soon caught up to Albus and Lily.

"I just hope that Luke is on the train otherwise we've no chance of getting a compartment alone." Scorpius said. "I see you brought Lily along"

"Yeah," Albus said. "she's starting this year so I'm sorta hoping that Luke's brother is with him and the pair of them can go together. There's nothing worse than being alone on the train. "If Rose wasn't with me, I would've had no idea what to do"

"I know what you mean" Scorpius replied as they continued to look into each and every compartment. Albus knew what Scorpius meant but they still found it difficult to talk about Finn.

"Aha" Albus said, pushing the door opened. Two almost identical looking boys sat talking but turned as the door slid open. "Hey" Albus said as he sat down opposite Luke. Scorpius sat beside him and Lily sat nearest the door

"Oh... my..." Scorpius said, mouth gaping open. "You two look more alike than I had expected."

Luke sighed. "This is Paddy" Luke said. "Paddy, you know Albus, that's Scorpius" Luke pointed at the blonde haired boy, "and that's Albus' sister Lily. She's a first year too" Paddy said a general 'well' to the trio seated across from him. Scorpius was not only amazed at how similar the boys looked, they also shared the same accent and sounded similar, Luke's voice was deeper than his younger brothers but the similarities between the two astounded Scorpius.

"Get use to it, will you Scorpius" Luke said. Albus had 'got use to it' rather quickly when they were in Luke's house for the Quidditch world cup.

"I'm doing my best" Scorpius said. Albus was about to speak but remembered that Lily and Paddy were both still in the compartment.

"Lils, maybe you and Paddy should go and find Hugo or whatever. We need to talk about something private" Albus said. Lily and Paddy traded looks, Lily sighed but eventually the pair of first years got up and left. "So, Scorpius, please do tell us what happened to you at the end of last year when we got kidnapped."

"Well, they wanted me to join them" Scorpius said. Luke and Albus were both shocked by the rather blunt statement but didn't say anything and allowed Scorpius to continue. "At first, they just tried to talk to me and they kept saying that I would benefit more if I was with them. They were trying to turn me against the pair of you. But I kept telling them to stuff it. They got angry and, unlike Parker, they were smarter. You just made him angry and he already hated you so he doesn't really think straight when you're around him. Instead of beating around the bush, they just hit the bush. Things got violent. Used loads of different curses and stuff but nothing that left physical damage. Everything they did was done to try and change my mentality but they didn't think I would be as mentally strong as I am. My dad and ironically my granddad made sure that I had great mental strength from a young age so I've pretty much got over it all" Scorpius told them.

"And did you get a new wand?" Luke asked.

"I did" Scorpius said. He withdrew his wand. It was rather long and thin. "I haven't tried it apart from in the shop but it worked well for me there. Obviously, I would prefer my other one, I don't think that this one will be quite the same but it will be good nonetheless."

"I know what you mean. Again, we're really sorry about it" Albus said.

"Really sorry" Luke echoed.

"I've already told you that it doesn't matter" Scorpius said.

The boys sat in silence for a while as they bought an assortment of sweets from the trolley. Albus glanced out the window. The sun was soon to be the setting and the sky was a beautiful hue of red and purple. The fields sped past as Albus judged that they weren't far from Hogsmeade, nothing more than an hour. There was a knock on the door of the compartment as the three boys turned their head to the door. Emily and Ashley walked in and seated themselves in the compartment. "Hold on a minute..." Albus said and the other four looked towards him. "I thought that you were going back to Australia this year"

"I was supposed to be because my dad was only supposed to be here for a year but then your dad offered him a full time job so we're staying here" Ashley explained quickly. "I was actually in Australia with my parents this summer but then dad got a letter from your dad and he went back to England and about a week later he came back and told us that he had just been offered a full time job. My mum said to take it so we came back to England. We explained that I would be returning here to the Headmistress so she said that that was fine. This was at the end of July so I was ready to go and enroll back in Australia. I'm happy to be back here though, you guys are awesome" Ashley said.

"I know, I know" Luke said sarcastically.

"Luke," Emily said stifling a smile, "was there any need for that?"

"It is Luke" Albus replied "and we think he's hungry" he added.

"Luke's always hungry" Emily responded

"That's not true" Luke said. "I'm not hungry after I've eaten... depending on what I've just eaten of course."

"Are you hungry now?" Scorpius asked.

"Yes"

"It's okay" Emily said peering out the window into the darkness, "we're nearly there, I think. Maybe we should change into our robes now." Albus, Luke or Scorpius didn't move.

"Do you mind... eh... leaving?" Albus asked.

"Oh yeah" Emily said quickly as the pair of girls scrambled out of the compartment and down the narrow corridor of the train carriage. Scorpius pulled the blind down over the pane of glass in the compartment door. Albus, Luke and Scorpius had just finished changing into their robes, a smooth, calming female voice sounded throughout the train.

"We will be arriving in Hogsmeade Station in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train as that will be brought up separately" the voice said. Albus, Luke and Scorpius joined the growing crowd in the corridor as the train slowed to a stop. The students poured out of the train into the cold, windy but dry night. As usual, Hagrid called the first years and he was clearly visible even among the crowds. The platform was lit and the large lantern illuminated his face. The throng of the crowd carried the boys away while Albus hoped that Lily had found her way to Hagrid. Albus, Luke and Scorpius were joined in a carriage by Emily and Ashley and they were soon making their way into the castle with the rest of the school.

Albus entered the Great Hall and glanced straight up at the staff table. He scanned everyone seated there and immediately saw his father. Albus smiled up at his father as Luke and Scorpius, who were either side of him saw Harry too and were happy that he would be continuing for another year.

A hush came over the Great Hall as the first years walked nervously down the centre aisle towards the staff table and the rickety stool and old patched hat that sat atop it. Professor Longbottom held a roll of parchment and began to call out the names. Albus watched as the first four students were sent to Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Only when two more went to Ravenclaw and two to Hufflepuff along with another one for Gryffindor did Albus really realise that Slytherin were getting less numbers. Four on the spin were then sent to Slytherin and Albus lost interest until the name 'O' Brien, Patrick' was called. He was sitting beside Luke who straightened up in his seat and looked on as his younger brother walked nervously to the stool. Paddy sat down on it and the hat was placed on his head. As Albus, Luke and Scorpius watched on with everyone else, it seemed to be taking an eternity for the hat to make its decision. Finally, a rip just over the brim opened and shouted "Slytherin" to the gathered students in the hall. Albus heard Luke sigh in relief and then he joined everyone in applauding his brother as the younger O' Brien made his way to the Slytherin table. Paddy walked towards the table with a huge smile on his face, something that was matched by his brother. Four more people were sorted before another name caught Albus' interest. This time it was the name of his sister. Albus looked up and then over at the Gryffindor table where James sat. James had left a gap between him and Louis, obviously awaiting Lily. Albus was nearly sure that his sister, just like everyone else in his family, would end up in Gryffindor.

"Slytherin" the hat shouted and Albus looked up, nearly sure that he had missed Lily and was now listening to the hat sort someone else but when he looked up he saw his fiery haired sister walking towards him smiling. Albus was totally in shock. The Great Hall was in total shock. One Potter in Slytherin was shocking enough but two Potters in Slytherin was something that no one could comprehend at that moment in time. Albus looked up at his father who looked very surprised as did his brother James. Lily squeezed in beside her brother as the Sorting Ceremony drew to an end.

"Why are you in Slytherin?" Albus whispered. "I was full sure you would be in Gryffindor."

"It was between Slytherin and Gryffindor" Lily replied in a whisper. "I let the Hat choose. The choice isn't up to me to pick my house otherwise there would be no point in having the Hat. I was sorta nervous up there and I had no idea what was going to happen. But I think it put me in Slytherin because I'm sorta more like you than James. And James annoys me sometimes, you're always nice to me" Lily said. For the first time in his life, he heard his sister speaking much more maturely than usual. Albus had to admit that he had always preferred Lily to James and Lily was a lot more like him than his elder brother. James was always like his father, not that James tried to be like him, it's just the way he was. Albus, and Lily, were different. They shared traits with both of their parents but the cunning and ambition they possessed was enough to put them both in Slytherin.

A few people were sorted and then 'Weasley, Hugo' was called. He was the second last to be sorted and was trembling as he sat on the stool. Professor Longbottom placed the hat on his head and the frayed Sorting Hat fell down over Hugo's eyes and stopped on the bridge of his nose. It didn't stall too long and 'Gryffindor!' was shouted and Albus was not at all surprised. Hugo was visibly nervous as he stood up from the chair. His hands were shaking slightly and he walked slowly to the cheering Gryffindor table. He was obviously relieved and the nerves were now leaving him. The young Weasley even spared a glance at Lily who looked back at him and simply shrugged her shoulders at him. He carried on and shuffled into a seat between James and Rose.

The Sorting had finished and a Hufflepuff student was carrying the stool and Sorting Hat out of the Great Hall. As per usual, Professor McGonagall welcomed them back with one line and then urged them to begin the magnificent feast which had been prepared for them. Albus glanced at his brother who had seemed to have forgotten about the sorting of his sister and was now digging into his dinner. Albus soon followed suit and paused only long enough to see the look of amazement on his sister's and Luke's brother's face.

"This is a lot of food" Paddy said as he began to pile food onto his plate from the different assortments of food. The Great Hall was full of voices of friends catching up with each other, sharing the tales of all they did during the summer. Dinner and dessert were great and Albus was so full at the end of it, he wanted to go straight to the common room and lie in his bed knowing that tonight, he would sleep very well. Professor McGonagall once again rose from her seat as the golden plates in the hall cleaned themselves and the food was gone, the plates shone once more. The Great Hall fell completely silent.

"Another year begins. Another group of first years replaces the old group we said goodbye to last June and to all those new students, welcome. To those returning, welcome back." the Headmistress said. "The Forbidden Forest is strictly that, forbidden to all students. Another four products from Weasley Wizard Wheezes have been banned , the full list now comprising of over two thousand products and objects are on the list which is available from Mr Filch. Professor Potter has kindly agreed to fill the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor until Halloween when the new professor will take his post. I think that is everything for now so goodnight to you all. Classes will begin in the morning" Professor McGongall said.

"First years" a voice said from the top of the Slytherin table. "Follow me." The first years all went towards the Prefect who Albus recognized as Regina Turley, a seventh year. She brought the group of first years out of the hall and Albus, Luke and Scorpius followed suit. None of them knowing the password, they had to follow someone and a Prefect was the best bet. The dungeons corridor hadn't changed and they walked briskly to catch up with the group.

They were soon back in the dormitory the had slept in for the previous two years and the trio lay on their respective beds. "Go on" Scorpius said, sitting up and looking at Albus. "I know you've wanted to tell us all day and I just want to know that my suspicions were right"

"Tell you what, exactly?" Albus asked, completely and utterly bewildered.

"Tell us that you're the Quidditch captain" Scorpius said, sounding as if it was completely obvious what he meant.

"But I'm not Quidditch captain. In fact, I didn't even think about that until the words 'Quidditch captain' came out of your mouth just now" Albus replied.

"Seriously?" Scorpius asked, now sitting up fully on his bed.

"Yeah"

"Well," Scorpius pondered, "if it's not you and it's not me, it's hardly Ashley, she wasn't supposed to be coming back this year, who is it?"

"No idea" Albus said. "I'm sure we won't be long about finding out though. You know what Professor Kelly is like about Quidditch. He'll want to win the Cup again this year and he'll want us to be as organised as possible"

"Very true" Scorpius said.


	4. News

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and worlds which belong to J.K Rowling.**

**A/N: There's been a few questions about Lily's sorting so I thought that I'd let you all know that there is a chapter in the works from Lily's point of view. This should, hopefully, make everything a little clearer for you all**

**4: News**

Albus woke the next morning thoroughly refreshed on Monday morning. Classes were to begin this morning but Albus didn't mind too much. He was enjoying the fact that he was back at Hogwarts. Albus got dressed and found that Luke, Scorpius and Brian were up and gone before him even though it was only half past eight, classes were to start in just over half an hour. Albus dressed quickly and entered into the common room which was packed with students, most of them wanted to leave for breakfast. The door was crowded an d Albus joined Luke and Scorpius as everyone pushed their way out of the common room.

A seventh year, Jason Paulson who was about six foot three inches tall and quite burly, took charge and had everyone in groups of twos and threes lined up and everyone got out of the common room much quicker than had they all continued to try and force their way through. Albus, Luke and Scorpius made their way to the Great Hall and found a spot at the Slytherin table and began to eat breakfast.

Professor Kelly was handing out class timetables to all the students and Albus dreaded to think what they could have churned out for them this year. Professor Kelly reached them. "Good morning" he said. "Third years" he muttered as he flipped through the large pile of timetables he was levitating in front of him. "Aha, Malfoy, Scorpius, here you go. O' Brien, Luke and Potter, Albus" Professor Kelly handed them their timetables for the year. Albus looked at it. He had Defence Against the Dark Arts, and a double Potions to start a Monday morning. "Could yo u two meet me after class today. And bring Ms Wilson too" Professor Kelly told t hem before continuing down the table. Al bus and Scorpius knew exactly what he wanted to talk about. He would also have his first Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures classes that afternoon which were sandwiched between Charms and Transfiguration. All in all, it wasn't a bad start and he didn't have a double History of Magic at all.

The boys returned to the common room and quickly gathered their things. They had very little time to hang around and went straight to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Albus, Luke and Scorpius arrived into the Defence Against the Dark Arts hallway and saw the people they disliked the most entering the classroom: Conor Kavanagh and Alex Noone. They were accompanied by a third boy but none of the three were sure of who he was. They walked slowly down the hallway and into the classroom. As usual, the Gryffindors were sat on one side with the Slytherins sitting on the other side.

The class began and as Professor Harry Potter began to speak about the plan for the year, a hand went up and this was followed by a few more. Harry looked at each student and eventually called on the unknown boy who had accompanied Conor Kavanagh and Alex Noone into the classroom . "Mr White, your question?"

"Eh, yeah..." he said, "the Headmistress said last night that you would only be here until Halloween. Why is that?"

"As you may know, I am also the Head Auror and so, to focus on my post as Head Auror, I resigned from my teaching post but when Professor McGonagall secured the services of the teacher she wanted, she was told by them that they would not be able to take the post until after Halloween so as a favour to the Headmistress, I came back to fill the position until then. Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah but I have another one" White replied. "Who is the new teacher?"

Harry smiled. "I can't tell you who it is, that isn't my place but I can tell you that it is a woman and she is currently on an expedition and that is why she will be late in taking up her post. I'm sure that she will explain everything when she comes back." Many of the people had put their hands down, in fact, only one hand was still in the air. It belonged to Rose Weasley. Harry nodded in her direction and she took this as a sign to ask her question.

"Professor, why haven't we been assigned a book?" Rose asked in her usual matter-of-fact tone.

"Well, I was only called in last minute to resume my post. Your new professor, a s I was told, never replied when asked what books she would like her students to acquire for the coming year so you have not yet been given one. I'm sure that once she takes up her post she will have the answer for you." Harry replied. Rose didn't look happy that between now and Halloween they would not be following a book. Harry resumed his speech. "Now, until Halloween, I am going to bring your defensive magic to a higher standard than what it is currently at. I know that some of you are better than the others but I want you all a year higher than what you're currently at. The lowest any of you are at, in my opinion, is the level you're expected to be at. That is, you are all capable of performing what is required at the end of two years of education. Some of you," he spared a glance at Albus, Scorpius, Conor Kavanagh and Rose . "are at a higher level. Now, what I would expect of you by Halloween is that you are proficient in defensive spells and techniques that the third or fourth years would be expected to have perfected. Others will go higher than that but make sure that you don't worry about what others are doing and worrying about improving yourself. Now..." the bell rang and the class was dismissed. Harry retreated to behind his desk as everyone filed orderly out of the room.

"Get used to your last few months with daddy around, Potter" Conor Kavanagh taunted. "Once he's gone, you won't be the golden boy anymore"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Albus asked feeling his temper rising, his hands curling into fists. This was unlike him, he was usually much better at keeping his cool.

"You know what I'm talking about" Kavanagh replied. "Getting the special treatment, the three of you, just because you're dad's a professor and you're the special Potter because you had to be different, you little snake. And then you brought your sister with you, you should hear what they're saying about you in our comm on room" Albus lunged forward but was pulled back by Luke and Scorpius. Conor Kavanagh turned away and laughed as he walked in the opposite direction accompanied by White and Noone. Luke and Scorpius were quick to turn Albus around as they walked in the opposite direction towards the dungeon.

"Don't listen to what he says. Just forget about it, ignore him" Scorpius advised.

"I've been ignoring him for the last two years" Albus replied. "And I don't mind if he taunts me but when he starts talking about dad and Lily, he's gone too far. Next time, I'm just going to forego wands and punch him right in the mouth."

"Just calm down" Luke said. "Double potions, come on. That'll cheer you up" as both Luke and Scorpius released their vice like grips on Albus' shoulder. "How I' ll never know" he muttered which brought a smile to Albus' face. Upon entering the dungeons classroom, Albus was relieved that it was Hufflepuffs that they would be sharing the class with. Albus took his usual seat and the class filled rather quickly. Professor Kelly greeted them with the usual smile.

"Third year" he said quickly. "This is probably your most important year in this class. Yes, fourth and fifth year are important but this is where you will step up to a higher level. This is where your O.W.L course begins. The first two years lay the foundation and now you will begin more complex potions but all of you in this class are more than capable of successfully concocting them. To begin this class, you will make a potion that you made last year, just to remove the rust." He tapped his wand against the blackboard and writing appeared. "Begin" The class hurried to grab the required ingredients but Albus casually lit the fire under his cauldron, set up his scales an d then he moved for the ingredients he needed.

* * *

The bell sounded once more and Albus and Scorpius waited behind as did Ashley. " Now, I'm sure you three have realised that there's no Quidditch captain for this year." Albus and Scorpius nodded but Ashley looked confused at Albus.

"I just presumed it was Al" she said.

"No problem with that because I considered him but then I thought 'he's a bit young, would people listen to him' and all these other thoughts along those lines. So, I have decided to put the three of you in charge of firstly finding a day for trials and getting the word out about it. Don't forget you have to go to Wood and book the pitch. Secondly, you, with my help, will then pick the team. From then on, you will agree on an evening for practice and it won't change throughout the year. Now, because I have to give it to someone," he withdrew the captain' s badge from his robes "I'm going to give it to you Albus. The school rules state that there has to be a designated captain but the three of you can work together. Go on, have your lunch"

Albus took the badge from the palm of Professor Kelly's hand and pocketed it before catching up with Scorpius and Ashley as they made their way up to the Great Hall for lunch. Luke and Emily were seated halfway down the Slytherin table and looked back towards the door to see the trio making their way towards them. "Well?" Luke asked.

"Al's captain" Scorpius said before the other two could even open their mouths.

"I knew it" Luke and Emily said quickly, almost in unison.

"I'm not really captain... well technically I am but I'm not really and I'm not making any sense to either of ye, am I?" They both shook their heads meaning no. "Well, he didn't want to pick a captain but someone had to be designated as the captain and that's me but I'm not the c aptain the same way Jeremy was. I'm not going to be making big motivational speeches or planning drills for training or anything like that. Well even if I do, they will be helping me" Albus said.

"That's true" Ashley said. "Professor Kelly told us that we had to help him."

"And you will" Albus said sternly.

"Yes captain" Scorpius said sarcastically. Albus sighed and began eating lunch.

Lunch was a rather excited affair betwee n the newest group of Slytherin third ye ars and indeed all the third years as th ey would now be having the first classes of their chosen electives. For those wh o only chose the minimum of two subjects , some of them had a free period after, as it was on the Slytherin timetable, Ch arms with the evergreen Professor Flitwi ck.

Professor Flitwick delivered a Professor Binns style lecture. Unusual for him, h e droned on about the coming year and ho w the workload would greatly increase. H e continued to lecture about what was on the curriculum for third years. Albus g rew bored and began to wonder what Hagri d had for store in them in their first C are of Magical Creatures class. He remem bered his father telling him that on Hag rid's first day he brought the third yea rs into the forest to see hippogriffs.

At the end of the most boring Charms cla ss any of them could remember they began the walk down to Hagrid's cabin. Albus even overheard Ravenclaws ahead of him c omplaining about how boring the class wa s, something you rarely heard from Raven claws who generally nearly always enjoye d anything educational. "What do you thi nk we'll do today?" Luke asked.

"Well my dad told me firstly that I'd probably regret taking this class. He also said that in his very first class Hagrid showed them hippogriffs and one of them attacked him. He said that even though Hagrid may be clueless about a lot of t hings, he knows about animals so to listen to every instruction he gives us."

"My dad pretty much said that to me too. Except for the part about him getting attacked by a hippogriff because he didn't get attacked by one." Albus added.

"So it might be something really interesting today?" Luke said.

"Nah" Albus replied doubtfully as they emerged from the castle and made their way down the steep sloping pathway that led to Hagrid's cabin. The sun was shining but it was a bit chilly but nothing that wasn't bearable for thirty five minutes. As the class gathered outside the small hut, Hagrid emerged and smiled at them all.

"Welcome" he said in his gruff voice. "Ta Care o' Magical Creatures. Now, I know tha' you all wan' somethin' special for yer first class but I'm goin' ta disappoint ya. Today, this is goin' to be a bit o' fun. Today, ye're going to learn all about Nifflers. Nifflers are commonly asked about in yer exams and it's a fun way to learn about them. So, they're in this crate. Take one and let him away in to the mound of dirt over there. And make sure to hide any shiny objects" he added. "Ya know, watches, bracelets, necklaces that sort of stuff.

The class looked at him utterly confused but another prompt made sure that every one had removed anything that was shining in the autumn sun. Albus wasn't a wearer of jewellery or anything at all shiny so he was one of the first to approach the crate. Hagrid stood by it and opened the crate slowly. Albus looked down at the Niffler. The sleek black fur and rodent like body wasn't what stood out to Albus. Each Niffler had a long snout. "Take one and off you go" Hagrid said as the students looked down at the creatures. Albus picked up one and was quickly followed by Rose and a Hufflepuff. Albus carried the creature near the mound of dirt and released the Niffler who plowed his way into the dirt. Rose was standing beside Albus as she released her Niffler.

"They're really cute" Rose said as the r est of the class formed a circle around the dirt as they had now all released their Nifflers. "Do you think you could get them as a pet?" she asked Albus.

Hagrid started laughing behind them. "Ya know Rose, yer dad asked me that question" Hagrid said as Albus felt something at his leg. He looked down and saw his Niffler poking his long snout at his leg. Albus bent down and picked up the gold coins the Niffler had dropped at his feet. The animal returned to the mound of dirt.

"Where did you get the gold?" Albus aske d the big man.

"Leprechaun gold" Hagrid replied. "Disappears after a few hours" All of the students had seen their Niffler return with gold and jump back into the heap of earth. The class flew by and when there was only a few minutes left, Hagrid whistled loudly. The Nifflers all jumped from the pile of muck, deposited what they had recovered at their owner's feet and made their way to Hagrid who lured them into the crate. "For your homework," a loud sigh greeted these words "I want you to write just a few lines about what you learned about the Niffler today. We'll continue our study of these creatures in th e next class. Go on, class dismissed"

* * *

The students who were taking Muggle Studies among all the years were directed to the Great Hall for the class. Even though it didn't matter where anyone sat, every student sat at their House table. Professor Woodward was quite a tall, slender woman. She had long black hair which was nearly always tied up in a simple pony tail. At around thirty years of age, she had been in the post for six years, entering her seventh. Albus had heard that she was a really good teacher and generally a nice person. She was stood on the dais at the top of the Great Hall. "Okay everyone" she said to the third through seventh year classes. "This year, I have a plan to help you all learn about the most popular muggle sport there is. Football, or soccer as many non Europeans call it, is extremely popular worldwide among the muggle community. So, for Muggle Studies this year, I have got the Headmistress to schedule two classes each week during the same period for everyone doing it. This year we will divide you into teams and you will compete in a soccer tournament throughout the year. You will have two months to learn the rules and get accustomed to playing the sport. Now, those who come from a muggle background will captain a team each and will be responsible for making sure that their team is ready for the start of the tournament. Along with my help, of course" she added. "The matches will be played on a Saturday and will not interfere with Quidditch matches. The tournament will be played on a double round robin league basis and the top four teams after all the games have been played will contest the playoffs. More details on that at the time. Today, I will put you into your eight teams." she announced.

Professor Woodward also pointed out that the teams would be inter-house teams. Many of the people didn't seem too happy with this but all disgruntled moans and sighs were soon stopped as the professor raised her hand. Albus quickly learned that Professor Woodward was very similar to Professor McGonagall. She was very good at keeping her class under control and nobody dared to cross her authority. Albus and Luke talked about anything and everything that they could think of as Professor Woodward worked her way across the hall from the Ravenclaw table to the Gryffindor table, the Hufflepuff table and finally the Slytherin table. She talked to each student individually and gave them a pin with a number on it as well as with their initials in it. "So you can't change teams" she told them when Luke asked her why his initials were on it. Unfortunately for Luke and Albus, they weren't on the same team. "Everyone go to their designated team areas." She waved her wand and large letters appeared over certain areas of the hall. Albus looked at the badge in his hand and then at the letters above either ends of the tables. On the badge in his hand was a letter 'R'. The same letter floated above his head and he didn't have to move.

There was a lot of moving in the Great Hall and people shoved their way to get to their tables. People looked eager and excited about the professor's plans for the year. People gathered around the area where Albus sat and eventually the team was gathered around him. A seventh year, Albus presumed, and the team captain was holding a sheet of parchment and scanned his team. Of the fourteen players they had, there were eight boys and six girls. "I'm Jason Powell. Seventh year in Ravenclaw and team captain." Jason Powell was tall and skinny and Albus recognised him now as the Ravenclaw chaser.

"Okay, if you're here say so when I call your name. Joanne Johnson" Powell said.

"Here" a seventh year Hufflepuff said. She was tall and slender, her dark hair was short, hanging just above her shoulders. Her face wasn't visible to Albus as she had his back turned to him.

"Jordan Leonard" Powell said next looking down at his list.

"Here" a deep voice said. Jordan Leonard was, the only word Albus could use to describe him: big. The sixth year Gryffindor was tall and muscular and he stood just to Albus' left. Leonard's large frame was quite intimidating to Albus who was sitting down.

"Mary Faldo" Powell continued.

"Here" she said. Mary Faldo was a sixth year Gryffindor who filled her large frame but yet still seemed to move gracefully. Her long red hair made her seem even more bigger and more intimidating, why, Albus wasn't sure. Jason Powell noted something on the list of names and continued to call his team aloud.

"John Lewis"

"Here" he said. John Lewis was a Hufflepuff who was in sixth year. He was small and powerful with a tight hair cut. His short blonde hair and small but muscular stature made him look like a member of the army.

Powell looked at him before returning to his list of names. "Allie Watson" Powell said.

"Here" the Ravenclaw fifth year said. She had very long dark hair that fell somewhere between her shoulders and waist. She wasn't very tall but wasn't fat either. She smiled as Powell looked her over before returning to his list.

"Rory Davis" was met with a response of "here". Davis was the first person that Albus recognised and knew. (Well, sort of knew). Davis was the first Slytherin on the team and was in fifth year. He was average height, average build, medium length light brown hair. His nose looked as if it had been broken as it was slightly off centre and his pointed chin and jaw line were also prominent facial features.

"Mason Cooke" Powell called.

"Yeah, here" Mason Cooke, the fifth year Hufflepuff responded. He was very similar in size to Rory Davis but his blonde hair was, in the context, quite long. He seemed to have it perfectly combed from the left side of his head over to the right.

"Joe Chamberlain" Jason Powell called

"Here" he said. Joe Chamberlain was a Ravenclaw fourth year. He stood tall but quite thin and his shaggy black hair made Albus' hair look neat and he had quite a hooked nose, something which really stood out when you looked at him.

"Michelle Mansell" was the next on the list. The fourth year was standing behind Albus and he turned around to look her. The first thing that struck him was that she was a very pretty girl. Her long brown hair framed her face and she didn't have a large frame, she was small in height and fairly thin.

"Paul Henley" Powell called next.

"Here" Henley replied. Albus recognised him. He was in fourth year and of course, he was in Slytherin.

"Albus Potter" was the next name on the list.

"Here" Albus said raising his hand slightly.

"Laura Kane" Powell called. There was no response.

"Oh," Mason Cooke said, "she wasn't feeling well after lunch so she's back in the common room"

"Okay, will you tell her what has happened today and what team she's on?"

"Yeah, no problem" Mason replied.

"And lastly, Christine Daly"

"Here" she said. Christine Daly was a Gryffindor third year and was behind Albus. He didn't really get a look at her as Jason Powell called their attention back to him.

"How many of you know about football?" he asked them. This question was met with silence. "Okay, we've got a class together again on...eh... Friday. We will go through it in more detail then. I grew up in a muggle family. I played football until I started Hogwarts and I still take an interest in the sport. Firstly, there are eleven players on a team. Now, there are fourteen of us but be assured, every will play as much as possible. There are a lot of positions depending on which formation you play but I think we'll start with a simple four-four-two formation."

"That's only ten" John Lewis said quickly.

"It is," Jason Powell responded. "but the keeper is never put down in the formation." Understanding dawned on the rest of the team. "And just before the bell goes, each team has been named after a muggle football team from England, Scotland or Wales. Mostly England though... anyway, we're Manchester United, better known as Man United or simply United. Also Man U and a few more."

"Is that your team?" Joe Chamberlain asked.

"No, I'm from Manchester and I support the other Manchester team, Manchester City. We will also be wearing the colours of United. Red jersey, white shorts and black socks. The school will be providing the kits for you all. We'll go through kit sizes and your numbers on Friday" he said. The bell had sounded but over the buzz of the hall no one had heard it. Professor Woodward informed her class that the bell had rang and they were free to go to their next class. The final class on the first day back for Albus was Transfiguration.

Joined by the Raavenclaws for Transfiguration, Professor Williamson, as had many of the other teachers today, delivered a lecture about what was on the agenda for the coming year. Albus was thinking that all the teachers had asked Professor Binns for advice on how to be as boring as possible when they were giving lectures. The bell snapped Albus back into the real world and the first day ended well for Albus, he had hardly any homework and could maybe do some work on the Quidditch front. He would have to ask Scorpius and Ashley for help, not that he would give them too much of a choice in the matter, and finalise a date for the tryouts. They needed a pair of Beaters and two new Chasers.

* * *

Albus sat in the common room later that evening when he was joined by Lily and Ashley. Scorpius and Luke had gone to seek out Professor Kelly while Albus and Ashley were tasked with getting the word out that the Quidditch tryouts were on Saturday at noon. The pair had began making two posters to put up in the common room. One on the common room notice board and the other beside the exit, just so people wouldn't forget. Scorpius, who was accompanied by Luke, went to find Professor Kelly to book the pitch for Saturday morning. It didn't take Albus and Ashley long to complete their posters but they could not yet put them up; they weren't one hundred percent sure if they had the pitch for Saturday morning.

"How was your first day?" Albus asked Lily.

"It was good" she said. "We didn't get to do much, most of the teachers talked about Hogwarts and all that sort of stuff. Professor Kelly let us make a potion because we had a double class with him."

"How did you do in it?" Ashley asked Lily. Albus knew she was wondering if Lily would share Albus' flare for potions.

"I did alright. I didn't make too many mistakes but it was the first time I made a potion" Lily said. "I'm just happy that we didn't get a lot of homework today. But I think that was just because the teachers didn't really do any work. They just talked a lot. It was fun though" Lily added.

"Did you tell mum?" Albus asked. "That you're in Slytherin" he added.

"Yeah, I sent her a letter this morning. I sent Wiggy by the way." she added quickly. "So, I'm not sure when I'll get a reply."

Luke and Scorpius had returned with the news they had the pitch for Saturday morning at noon. Luke also brought a large snowy white owl. "This is yours, isn't Al? It was outside the common room door" Luke said.

Lily got up and grabbed the letter from the owl's leg and made her up to the dormitory. "What did Kelly say?" Albus asked.

"Nothing really. He said that it was good we were doing it early and that he would be at the tryouts at the weekend." Scorpius said with a shrug. "Where did Lily go?" she looked like she was in a hurry.

"Letter from mum." Albus said. "She wants to read it alone, I suppose. She isn't really sure what mum will say. Everyone, and I mean everyone, expected Lily to be a Gryffindor. With me, they were taking bets on whether I'd be a Gryffindor or Slytherin. With Lily, and James for that matter, no one ever gave their house a second thought."

"There's a conversation topic to pass the evening" Luke said.

"What is?" Emily asked sitting down. "Please tell me we've moved on from Quidditch. I only watched it first because Al was playing and then 'cause the pair of you were playing too"

"We've moved on" Ashley said.

"Good. So what was the conversation ye were about to start?" Emily asked.

"Eh..." Albus said, completely lost and only then did he notice he was staring straight at Emily. He quickly turned away and hoped that nobody noticed. If anyone did, they didn't say anything.

"When did you know what house you were going to be in?" Luke said.

"As soon as I knew about the Houses and the history of both the school and my family. I really didn't think I had a choice. My family has been in Slytherin for centuries, I'd probably be disinherited if I was anything else." Scorpius said first.

"Makes sense. Ehm... when the Sorting Hat said 'Slytherin', I suppose" Emily said. "My mum was a Slytherin but my dad was a Ravenclaw. I always thought that I'd end up in Ravenclaw because everyone always tells me I'm like my dad."

"I didn't have a clue really" Ashley said. "Obviously none of my family went here so until the hat said 'Slytherin', I really had no idea."

"What about you Al?" Scorpius asked.

"Well I was always the different one in my family. I hoped that I would be in Gryffindor from the minute I turned eleven and really started thinking about going to Hogwarts. All the summer before, James mocked me about being in Slytherin and being in Slytherin was a genuine fear for me. But on the platform, I told my dad about it and what he said to me calmed me down. He also said that if I wanted to be in Gryffindor, the hat would let me choose. Once I put on the Hat and started talking, is that the right thing to say? Anyway, I realised that I should just let the Hat choose where would be best for me because if I choose Gryffindor then it wouldn't really be me. The Hat put me in Slytherin and right now, I'm really happy that I did" Albus said.


	5. Responsibility

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series (yet)**

**5: Responsibility**

Tuesday brought History of Magic for the first time this year. Unfortunately for the Slytherin and Ravenclaw third years, this class was the first that morning. The forty minute class felt much longer. Albus, who was seated beside Emily, did as he pretty much always did in History of Magic. He allowed his mind to wander and the one thing he needed to figure out came to the forefront of his mind. He began to rack his brains about the Quidditch tryouts the previous year. He wasn't sure at all who would be able to work with Ashley as a trio. Ashley came from a Quidditch family and she found it easy to link up with her fellow Chasers. Albus knew that ultimately Ashley and Scorpius would make the call because Albus would only be able to watch on while the other two would be involved. Albus, on the other hand, would have the veto on the Beaters as they would need to be able to hit him because that was their job.

Albus tried and tried to remember that best Chaser candidates from last year but none sprung to mind immediately. As for the Beaters, no one could unseat the previous duo as Jeremy Finch didn't like lots of change and disruptions in the team and he trusted the pair of them. That would probably be the hardest vacancy to fill. Albus began to doze off and he was acutely aware of Binns lectured about witch burning in the fourteenth century, not long after the magical community hid themselves from the Muggles. A sharp elbow in the ribs woke Albus and instinctively turned towards Emily. "Come on, class is over" she said to him. Albus yawned and rubbed his eyes, stretched out his arms and eventually, picked up his bag and left the classroom with Emily.

"So you really only went to the Quidditch matches to see me play?" Albus asked. Emily face turned as red as the Weasley's hair.

"Yeah" she said eventually. This time it was Albus' turn to become a shade of red very similar to his mother's hair. "I've really started to enjoy Quidditch and going to watch you... and Ashley and Scorpius" Emily added. "Double charms now. Probably my best class" she said with a laugh. "The only one I can get 'O's' in"

"That's not true" Albus said looking at her as they made their way through the hallways towards the charms classroom. "You nearly always get 'O's' in Potions"

"That's only when we work in pairs and we're paired together. You're brilliant at potions" Emily said. Albus looked away as he blushed again. He was just happy that he was able to turn into the Charms classroom and hide his face. He took his usual seat at the back with Luke and Scorpius. Professor Flitwick perched himself on the stack of books behind his desk and began to speak.

"Straight down to business" he said. "First thing on the agenda this year is Cheering Charms. Very simple to learn the theory but can be difficult to perfect. We will spend the first class learning about the theory and may then move onto the practical aspect of the spell." The class was silent as Professor Flitwick spoke. "Page twelve of your books, please" the professor squeaked. The classroom was filled with the sound of people moving their books and turning pages. "Right..." he began and Albus tried to keep focused and he just about managed it as he listened to Professor Flitwick talk about the charm. Even though Albus struggled to keep focused, he came to realise that once he heard something, his brain absorbed it and stored it somewhere and he was somehow able to regurgitate it when he needed it.

* * *

Albus had waited for Arithmancy and now he got a double to start off. Professor Goyo, who Albus remembered vaguely from the feast last year when he was being introduced as the new professor. The man was about forty and his hair was thin and greying. He was tall but was rather wide and he seemed to hobble around the classroom. He stood by the door and watched as each student entered. Albus and Scorpius sat beside each other, about halfway down the small, square classroom. The room was rather tight space wise and it seemed rather cramped.

"I am Professor Goyo. Welcome to Arithmancy. Arithmancy is perceived as a difficult subject but if you are adept to it and you are willing to work hard then you won't have too much workload, if not managed, can overrun many people and in this class of twenty four, I don't expect twenty four of you to take the O.W.L exam in this subject. However, if you do the work and, especially, if you enjoy the subject, it won't be difficult to obtain high grades. Any questions?" Professor Goyo asked. No one flinched as he glanced over the class. "Very well, down to business" Still no one moved. "Take out your books" he said with a smile and he retreated behind his desk.

"Sir," Scorpius said, raising his hand in the process, "what exactly does Arithmancy entail?"

"Mr Malfoy, is it?" Scorpius nodded. "The question is a bit late but I shall answer it nonetheless. In Arithmancy, we deal with the magic of numbers and the magical properties of numbers. A major part of it is predicting the future, much more accurately than those who take divination, I should add. Really, it's tough to explain in detail to someone who yet doesn't know what I'm talking about but it will become much clearer in a few weeks."

Professor Goyo was right. Even as he lectured, things became clearer to Albus. He understood what Professor Goyo meant and there was a lot of working with numbers, even more than Albus had anticipated. He, however, enjoyed the first assignment they received and they were told to work on it. Professor Goyo handed them all charts and they had to work out the change in the cycle of the moon using the same simple equation. They started on the full moon and, using the numbers and putting them into the equation, worked the dates in the form 3-10 (the third of October) and working out the quarterly stages for two months. It took almost a class and half but everyone had finished and Professor Goyo didn't give them any homework.

* * *

Muggle Studies was once again held with the everyone in the school who was taking the class and Jason Powell wasted no time in delving into the explanation of 'the beautiful game'. "Okay" he said pointing at a drawing of a football pitch. "This is what the pitch looks like. The goalkeeper guards one of the goals. He can use his hands as long as it is inside the big box" he gestured to the large area outlined in the drawing. "No one else can use their hands. You use your feet, your legs, your head, your chest. Anything but your hands and arms."

"Why can't you use your arms?" Mary Faldo asked.

"Because that's counted as a handball." A few hands went into the air. "I don't know why, exactly, it's just the rules" Everyone put their hands down and he continued his explanation and produced another chart. "There's four defenders." he pointed to the line of four just outside the large box. "The right back," he pointed to the right back, "the left back", pointed then to the left back "and two centre backs." He pointed to the centre backs. "The main functions of the four defenders is to protect the goals and the 'keeper. The defenders have to stop the other team's attackers. We will play with two in centre midfield. They will have a lot of work to do but we'll go through more detail in training. Two wide players, right and left midfield who will stay wide most of the time and get the ball down the line and into the box. Then you have two up front. Their main job is to score the goals but really, everyone can and does score goals."

Jason Powell went on to explain a few simple rules; the kickouts, throws, frees and offside. "Can everyone train on Saturday evening?" he asked. "Around five. I've checked and there's no Quidditch practice so you will all be there" he told them. "We'll be out on the large grass area on the far side on the Quidditch pitch. Hagrid has made it into a football pitch. A decent one at that. We'll go through everything in more detail, we still have to figure out what position everyone's going to play in.

* * *

The week moved on and the Slytherin common room was talking about the Quidditch trials on Friday evening. On Friday, Albus saw that Lily was with two other first years and decided against approaching her. She looked happy as she and her friends worked on their homework.

Saturday morning made Albus realise the responsibility the position of Quidditch captain brought. Although Ashley and Scorpius were working just as hard as he was, Albus was always the one asked the questions. 'Will all the spots be open?', 'Can we try out for more than one position?' and so on. Albus answered so many questions, and the same questions so many times he was tired and began telling people he would answer their questions before the starts of the trials.

By time Saturday noon came, no one seemed to have any questions. Albus sent them on a few warm up laps and the weaker flyers were weeded out, significantly reducing the group. Next brought some passing between all the Chaser hopefuls and those who couldn't catch or throw the Quaffle were soon sent to sit in the stands. Next, Albus wanted to narrow down the Chaser hopefuls to a smaller group. He sent Scorpius to the goal and sent Ashley up with the Chasers. Ashley and one of the Chasers went together from halfway and worked the Quaffle between them before letting the candidate shoot. Not many scored but the number was of chaser hopefuls was now cut in half as some people couldn't work with Ashley as they went it alone and the others who were sent to the stand couldn't throw the Quaffle accurately while flying at pace.

Albus next sent the eight Beaters hopefuls up in the hope of seeing who could and couldn't find the target. Three of them couldn't make contact with the Bludgers while the remaining five managed to force the Bludger through the hoops. Albus decided to finish the Beaters tryout by mounting his own broom and telling the five candidates to try and hit him as he weaved and ducked, zigged and zagged his way around the pitch. Ashley and Scorpius watched intently as the Beaters strained themselves in an attempt to hit Albus but only one person managed, moments before Scorpius called an end to it. Albus brushed off the contact with his shoulder and saw it was fourth year, Vincent McMahon taking the credit for the hit. There had been a few times that Bludgers had come close to Albus but he had managed to avoid them.

As Ashley and Scropius went to finish the Chaser tryouts, Albus congratulated the Beater hopefuls on their efforts and sent them up to the stand to wait 'til the end of the trials. He also told them that the team would be posted on the common room notice board in the morning. The tryouts soon concluded and Ashley, Scorpius, Albus and Professor Kelly retreated for lunch before moving to the Potion's master office for discussions about the team.

* * *

Albus had to leave at ten to five as he returned to the common room where he gathered his football gear and quickly made his way down past the Quidditch pitch. He quickly got changed with the rest of the team. Nobody spoke as they all quickly pulled on a pair of shorts, socks, a jersey and their runners. They all gathered on the pitch and, before they started training, Jason Powell spoke. "Firstly, our team will be wearing the kit of Manchester United this season. Each team was randomly assigned the kit of a Muggle club and that's the one we got. The school will supply the kit to be worn only for matches. It will have your name and number on the back. I will be responsible for the kits and will give them to you in the dressing room before a match. Today, we will get everyone a position to play and we can build from there."

The team began to move but were soon halted by their captain's voice. "Okay, we're going to take turns in goals. Leonard, you go first. Here's a pair of gloves" Jason threw him a pair of gloves and Leonard pulled them on as he took his place between the posts. The rest of the team lined up and readied themselves.

"I'm ready" he shouted from the goals. Jason Powell rolled the five footballs over the line and he went first putting his ball well over the crossbar. Albus went next. He ran forward a few yards before trying to score. His shot was saved but Albus didn't realise how well Leonard done to save his shot. Albus' shot was hit into the corner and Jordan Leonard dived across the goal and slapped Albus' shot away. The whole team took their turns and nobody was able to score past Jordan Leonard. There were some people, like Albus and Mary Faldo, who were naturally adept at the game while others struggled. Jason Powell was quick to tell Jordan Leonard that he would be the goalkeeper for the year.

The training session went on and everyone was slowly given their positions. Albus was told that he would be wearing number seven for the season as he would be playing right midfield. Albus really surprised himself with the skill and speed he possessed. The rest of the team were quick to question Albus at the end of the session about whether or not he had played football before. He was adamant when telling them that the only sport he had ever played was Quidditch.

* * *

After coming to the decisions on the final team, Albus took the responsibility of pinning the team on the noticeboard. The final team was Scorpius as keeper, Vincent McMahon in fourth year and Tim Clarke in sixth year as Beaters, Ashley, Amy Barry in fifth year and Liam Bowen in seventh year as the chasers and Albus as the Seeker. Every appeared to be happy with the team on Sunday morning as no one came to Albus to complain and many of those, particularly those not in seventh year, were happy to congratulate those who had made the team. Everyone wanted the Quidditch Cup to stay in its glass case in the Slytherin common room.

From now, according to Professor Kelly, the build up to the first game against Gryffindor began. He told the house not to tell anyone outside Slytherin the team as the secrecy of unknown would be their greatest weapon on the day. Albus knew that Professor Kelly meant business but urged the team not to get too far ahead of themselves because first they needed to train and start working as a team. Until the game, they had lots to work on and Albus knew how fast the time could pass.


	6. Changes

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series. This story is based on the characters and world created by and belonging to J.K. Rowling**

**6: Changes**

September passed by quickly, mainly because the teachers weren't shy about upping the workload of the new third years. Albus had so much that he didn't feel the time pass by and he barely had a spare moment to do anything. Between homework, Quidditch and learning to play football, the only other things he really had time to was sleep and eat. He now knew why people said that third year was probably the most difficult year because they had to get used to the big increase in the workload.

Albus was getting on well in classes and History of Magic was the only class he didn't do well in. He usually failed the tests but he wasn't too bothered about. Now and again, he'd manage to scrape a pass. As usual, he excelled in Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts. He got on well, usually 'A's' in his other core classes. Hagrid was yet to test his class but Albus was enjoying it and felt he was getting on well. Muggle Studies was going well when they weren't out in all conditions getting accustomed to playing football, Albus was enjoying learning about the day to day lives of Muggles. Albus had learned about some things that Muggles used through spending time with his grandfather. Lots may have changed but Arthur Weasley was still fascinated with Muggle devices. Arithmacny wasn't exactly what Albus expected but he really enjoyed the class as it was a real change from everything else they did at Hogwarts and Professor Goyo was a really good teacher, in Albus' opinion anyway.

As the school ate dinner on a Thursday evening in the middle of October the sky in the Great Hall, which mirrored the sky outside, changed suddenly. The hue of reds and purples changed to a grey and black cloudy sky. It started raining heavy and there was a bright flash followed by a loud rumble in the sky. An evening that was perfect only five minutes earlier had changed instantly. A few of the teachers had stood up and were looking at the ceiling when the doors of the Great Hall opened. The heads turned from looking up to looking towards the door. A young twenty-something woman walked through the doors. She was wrapped in a travelling cloak which was dripping water. Her face was very pretty and her hair hung outside her robe and fell to about halfway down her back. She walked quite slowly and slightly uncoordinated, stumbling a few times. Professor McGonagall looked a bit confused but after she had dried off their visitor and a quiet chat everything seemed to be clearer to the Headmistress. "Your attention please" Professor McGonagall said loudly and clearly. The hall fell into a silence that the Headmistress could so easily produce. "Earlier than expected, your new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Irene Fulton. Professor Fulton will take classes from next Monday. Professor Potter will take classes for the final time tomorrow. I'm sure" she said with a hint of a smile "the Ministry will be glad to have him back." The students were confused. Some of them clapped for the new professor while others didn't move. Everyone wasn't expecting the new professor until after their Halloween break but Professor Fulton had arrived completely unannounced to the school, two weeks early... or six weeks late, whichever way you look at it.

That evening, Albus, Luke and Scorpius sat in the common room and, just like everyone around them, they were talking about the change in Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. "I liked your dad" Luke said. "He nearly always made class fun. This new wan looks like she doesn't know the meaning of fun"

"Classes are about learning Luke-" Scorpius started

"But it's so much easier to learn when you're having fun" Luke cut across him.

"He's got a point. Take Binn's class against any other class. Which one do you learn more in?"

"Point and case'' Luke said smiling.

"Okay, I know what you mean" Scorpius conceded.

"Hey guys" Emily said sitting on the arm of Albus' chair. Ashley had sat herself in the spare chair between Luke and Scorpius. "We," she said meaning Ashley and herself, "just overheard the first years over there talking about when they did magic for the first time so we decided to come over here and ask you guys about it"

"You couldn't have just talked about between the two of ye?" Albus asked, looking up at Emily on the arm of his chair.

"We did but surely one of you three will have an interesting story. Luke" Ashley asked.

"I was only a youngin. Think I was two and, according to my mam, my sister took my dessert and I got really angry and the food burst into flames" Luke said, holding back his smile. The others laughed and Luke joined them.

"Even from a young age all you wanted was food!" Albus joked and Luke shrugged his shoulders in a 'what can you do?' way.

"Well mine was more normal. I was one or two, quite young and I fell over, or so my mum says, and the books on the bookcases were ripped pieces. I fell over one of the books that had fallen from the shelf, by the way. You know it's when you feel an extreme of one emotion that you release the magic." Scorpius said. "How about you Al? What did you do?" he asked.

"Well, I was seven-" Emily cut him off.

"Seven? That's like as late as you can do it. They say that if you haven't done magic by seven, you're probably not a witch or wizard."

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, I was a level headed kid, I wasn't aggressive. James used to try all his pranks on me and I just rolled over and let it happen. On my seventh birthday I let out years of anger in one go. James did something, I can't remember exactly what it was and I got so angry which was unlike me. Like I said, level headed, very long fuse that has shortened somewhat. Anyway, I got really angry and released that and all the anger that had built up in seven years and I ended up leaving quite a large crater in the garden at my grandparents house. They have since covered over it but that's what happened."

"How?" Ashley asked

"How what?" Albus asked.

"How did you put a crater in the ground?" she responded sounding like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I dunno. I remember being really angry and then there was a shaking under my feet and next thing I knew, I was standing in a hole in the garden."

"That's crazy!" Emily said. "That's some scary powerful magic." Emily's word brought the words that Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt spoke after Albus' outburst leaving the huge hole in the garden of the Burrow. 'Albus has shown some seriously powerful magic' the Minister had said. 'I think that he will be one of the strongest wizards not only of his generation but perhaps ever. I think that he will find the magic easy and will be able to learn with much less theory than the other students. He will excel, he will be a master duellist, he will live up to the Potter name' Kingsley had said to Albus' father. And so far, he had been right. Only in his third year, Albus had already mastered the Stunning Spell and the Shield Charm which were far beyond his years.

* * *

"Don't forget Al, there's a Hogsmeade visit on Halloween" his father whispered to him. Albus said goodbye to his father on Sunday evening who seemed relieved to be able to return to full time to his job as Head Auror. James and Lily were with him when they were saying goodbye. Albus expected Lily to pout and sulk about the fact that Harry taught both Albus and James for a little more than years while he only taught Lily for six weeks or so. Albus, however, was completely surprised. Lily hugged her father, said her goodbye and told him that she couldn't wait to see him again at Christmas.

Albus was really surprised at how much mature his sister had become since she started Hogwarts. Harry waved them goodbye as he stepped into the fireplace in the Headmistress' office. Harry said his destination, '12 Grimmauld Place', and was gone. Professor McGonagall returned to the office and told the students to return to their common rooms. Albus, James and Lily exited the office and made their way down the winding staircase. They meandered slowly down the hallway and talked as they did so.

"I always thought the three of us would be in Gryffindor but obviously, I was very wrong!" James said.

"Things happen. Slytherin has changed since dad's time. They're not the same as they used to be." Albus responded. "I have some great friends in Slytherin and I'm quite happy there. Not to mention we have the Quidditch Cup" Albus added with a smile at James. The eldest Potter smiled, looked at his younger brother and spoke.

"Enjoy it while you can" he said and James walked off. Albus stood in the hallway with a smile on his face. James had started the mind games early. Albus felt his arm being dragged and realised his feet were moving. Lily was pulling him back towards the common room and Albus finally moved of his own accord. Albus and Lily walked side by side in the hallway.

"How are you enjoying Hogwarts? And Slytherin?" Albus asked his sister.

"The classes are really fun… except History of Magic. That's really boring." Albus laughed. He wondered did anyone enjoy History of Magic. He also remembered his father telling him that all but one of the historians at the Ministry of Magic was foreign.

"Yeah, no one likes History of Magic. All the Muggle borns are excited because it's taught by a ghost. They don't know what to expect because, of course, the ghosts caused too much havoc so they can't appear unless you say their name" Albus told his younger sister.

"I wondered where all the ghosts were. I remember dad telling us about them. Especially Peeves…" Lily realised what she had said and instantly put her hand over mouth as if it would stop what was about to happen. The poltergeist was like little man dressed in loud, outlandish clothes including a bell-covered hat and an orange bow tie.

He swooped around Albus and Lily. "Wee Potty" he said happily, cackling. "The son of the great Harry Potty with who Peeves was great friends. You look just like your daddy" Peeves cackled once more. "And be this your girlfriend?" Peeves asked as he swooped around the walking pair.

"It's my sister" Albus replied.

"Oh…" Peeves paused and swooped down, very close to Albus. "Be wee Potty in Slytherin? And his sister too?" Peeves eyes widened. Albus and Lily continued to walk and Peeves continued to glide alongside them.

"Peeves leave us alone!" Albus said turning his attention to the annoying poltergeist. Peeves suddenly vanished. Albus and Lily returned to the common room and Lily apologised several times but Albus said not to worry about it. "I know why dad hated him so much now" Albus said to his sister who was quick to agree with him.

* * *

The Slytherin third years were the first to have Defence Against the Dark Arts with the new teacher, Professor Fulton. Everyone in the class left breakfast early and were in their seats about five minutes earlier than usual. The class sat with their bags on the floor, still not having a book and hoped that their first class would be a practical class. Professor Fulton made her way to the top of the classroom and sat down behind her desk. She took attendance, and as Albus was used to, she lingered for a moment over his name. She looked down the room at Albus and stared straight at him for half a second before moving on. Albus had an odd sensation when she looked over him, as if she was measuring him.

The class moved on and the professor was shocked to hear that they didn't have any books. "This is not acceptable" she said angrily. "What sort of a school is this?" she shouted. "Let's get started then. What's the difference between an animagus and a werewolf?" she asked. As expected, Rose had her hand in the air as soon as Professor Fulton finished the question. "Weasley!" Professor Fulton barked.

"Simply, an animagus is a wizard who elects to turn into an animal. A werewolf has no choice. An animagus keeps his human mind and can think for itself when they transform. Werewolves cannot, they no longer know who they are." Rose said.

"Very good" Professor Fulton said her expression unchanged. "But if one of you know that then all of you should know that." the professor told them. "So, for homework by the end of the week, you will write nine inches of parchment on the differences between a werewolf and animagus. Dismissed" she said although there were still fifteen minutes left in class. She retreated to the office up the stairs at the back of the classroom. They all sat in silence, utterly confused and bewildered. Slowly, the class filtered out of the room and Albus was behind two people he really didn't like.

"Thank Merlin Potter is gone" he heard Alex Noone say.

"Yeah," Conor Kavanagh agreed. "He always played favourites, never could be impartial. It was always Weasley he liked, or precious Albus and the other Slytherins he's friends with." Albus put his hand on Conor Kavanagh's shoulder, spun him round and swung his left hand at him. Albus' clenched fist made contact with Conor Kavanagh's jaw. The Gryffindor dropped to the floor in a heap and Albus was pulled back by Luke, Scorpius and Rose. Alex Noone was crouched down beside his friend and watched on as Albus failed to control his anger. The three restrained him and managed to bring him into the next corridor.

"Deep breaths Al, come on, you need to calm down" Rose said to him. Albus took several deep breaths and relaxed himself. After a few minutes, he was calm once again.

"I said it" Albus told them. "I'm not taking any more shit from him. He had it coming to him"

"He did" Rose said. The three Slytherins were taken aback.

"I thought you were friends with him" Albus said to his cousin.

"No, I'm friends with Alex's sister. The two guys are absolute jerks but I have to put up with them sometimes. Twins are usually very close so they spend a lot of time together even though I hate being with the guys" This came out at the wrong time for Rose as Alison Noone, Alex' twin sister, walked around the corner.

"Is that how you see my brother and my friend?" Alison asked and, before she could get an answer, stormed back the way she came. Rose sighed and went after the person that was undoubtedly her best friend since she and Albus were split at the sorting at the start of their first year.

* * *

It didn't take long for word to spread around the school that Albus Potter had punched Conor Kavangh after Professor Fulton had dismissed her class fifteen minutes early. There were some people in the higher years in Gryffindor, including James, who congratulated him on breaking Conor Kavanagh's jaw and knocking him unconsciousness with one punch. James found Albus with Luke and Scorpius in the library that evening in the library. They were doing their Defence Against the Dark Arts essay when James took Albus to a table by themselves. "Nice one mate" James said a little louder than he should have which meant he received a stern warning from the librarian. The smile didn't leave his face though. "You knocked him out!" James whispered excitedly. "No one likes him"

"Rose told me that. I knew she was happy but she did really well not to show it."

"Well she was pretty angry this evening. Her and that girl she's friends with, Alison I think, had a bit of a falling out. I saw her with the two girls you're friends with earlier on" James whispered. Albus was really confused now. Rose with Emily and Ashley? "And she was with a Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw as well. I don't know really what's going on" James said. Albus would need to talk to someone to figure everything out. "I'll leave you to do your homework now" James said, struggling to keep a straight face as he said 'homework'. Albus bid him goodbye and James left the library. Albus returned to his seat and continued to write his essay.

Albus went unpunished because none of the teachers saw it so they couldn't adjudicate the situation. Conor Kavanagh returned to classes the following Wednesday and eyed Albus angrily all day. Albus returned every glaring stare with a smile which irritated him even more. Things had changed rapidly since the start of the year. Lily had joined Albus in Slytherin. Harry Potter was no longer the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Albus had punched Conor Kavanagh in the face. Rose had had a falling out with her best friend and was now spending a lot of time with Emily, Ashley (who she had apparently become good friends with when the Australian spent Christmas with the Weasleys when they were in first year) and a Hufflepuff, Laura Kane who was on Albus' Muggle Studies football team. A lot had changed in the first two months of Albus' third year at Hogwarts and knowing Albus' life so far and the Potter name, there was much more that would change.

He was right. The first Muggle Studies football match of the year was set to take place on the Saturday before Halloween. Albus was eating breakfast in the Great Hall when the post arrived. He spotted the family owl and could only wonder who the letter was for. The large snowy owl swooped down in front of Albus and dropped the letter from its beak onto the table in front of the middle Potter child. Albus fed the owl some toast and a bit of bacon. Rummy, the family owl, left the Great Hall once more. At the same time, an owl delivered the _Daily Prophet _ to Scorpius. Albus opened the letter and instantly recognised his father's hand writing. He took the letter from his father and read it to himself.

_Dear Al,_  
_There's a few things I needed to tell you and this is all of them that I could think of at the time I was writing this. Firstly, I heard you punched Conor Kavanagh. I know there was probably a reason but you need to control your anger. Keep your head and you're very lucky that none of the teachers saw it even though they all do know that you hit him. Secondly, be wary of Professor Fulton. She might be a noted magical defence student but don't cross her or else it will be your head on the blade. And finally, ask Scorpius for the paper._

Albus turned across to Scorpius and asked him for the paper when he's finished. "Yeah, you might want to see this" Scorpius replied, handing the newspaper to Albus. Albus looked at the headline. 'Parker & Co. storm building in unnamed location, Aurors forced to retreat'

_I'm assuming that you have now read whatever the headline is but I can tell you if Michael Parker's name is mentioned, it is untrue. He was not there last night when we battled them. I believed it was his men that did what they did on his orders but he was most definitely NOT involved. We, the Auror office, also believe that the Dark Revivalists and the New Death Eaters are two different groups. I'll keep you updated  
HJP  
_

Albus turned to read the article in the newspaper.

Aurors were last night forced to retreat from a battle with a group of Michael Parker's forces. Our sources believe that ring leader, madman Michael Parker was among the group. The group that is now calling themselves the Dark Revivalists and in some cases, the New Death Eaters, stormed a building in a rural part of the country. Due to the requests of the Head Auror Harry Potter, we are not allowed to name the location of the building. Auror spokesman John Wilson spoke exclusively to the _Prophet _last night. 'I can confirm that a group of Aurors were dispatched to a rural area after a call from locals in the area. The aforementioned locals had since vacated the area when the Auror force arrived. A duel ensued between the forces we believe are followers of wanted criminal Michael Parker. The large number of people that were there were larger than expected and to make sure that all the Aurors returned home safely, Head Auror Harry Potter who was among those dispatched, made the call that the Aurors should retreat. We expect that in our absence they have given the building all manner of magical protection and I expect that a larger group of Aurors will return tomorrow in an attempt to bring the criminals to justice'. More on pages 2,3,4,5 and 6.

Albus didn't want to read any more. He gave Scorpius back the paper. Luke had been reading the article over his shoulder. "That doesn't sound like something that Parker would do. He would want to stay on the down low. He wouldn't want to come back to the attention of the Aurors after he narrowly got away last time. He'll be regrouping." Scorpius said. Albus didn't reply, he handed the letter his father had sent him to Scorpius who read it rather quickly. " I knew it. And what about the groups? Your dad thinks they're two separate groups, not the same ones."

"I know why" Albus said quickly as he remembered his father telling him about the first group of people he chased down as an Auror. In like 2003 or around then there was a group of people, about six or seven, who went around terrorizing people. Muggles, muggle borns, everyone. For about eight or nine months they did this and none of the Aurors could get near them. All they knew was the description of the people. Then they slipped up. All but one of them was caught. None of them spoke so the youngest of them was never caught. They were branded as the people who tried to bring about a Dark Revival. One guy went uncaught, no one, apart from the other five or six people, knew who it was. Do you think that person might've been Michael Parker?" Albus asked.

"Maybe" Scorpius pondered. Luke didn't say anything. "Better get going Al" Scorpius said to break the silence. "Got the match in half an hour"

"Oh yeah!" Albus replied. "I nearly forgot with everything that happened this morning.


	7. Potter Prevails

**Disclaimer: This story is based on the worlds created by and belonging to J.K. Rowling**

**A/N: Apologies for the late update but I had a hectic weekend and didn't have time to finish this off and post if for you. Hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope you have enjoyed and continued to enjoy this story and indeed the entire stories. Finally, I'd like to thank all of my readers for sticking with me**

**7: Potter Prevails**

Albus was the last to get to the dressing rooms for the first football match of the year. Albus' team would be playing a team captained by Hufflepuff's Robert Monk. As Albus found out, the opposing team were to be wearing the sky blue colours of Manchester United's rival, Manchester City. The team quickly put on their kit and, for the first time, Albus pulled on his number seven jersey. Jason Powell stood up and held a sheet of parchment in front of him. "I'm sure you all know the team and what you all have to do but I'll go through the team one last time. Jordan Leonard in goal, Mary Faldo, myself, John Lewis and Mason Cooke across the back. Albus Potter, Joe Chamberlain, Michelle Mansell and Paul Henley across the middle and Joanne Johnson and Rory Davis up top. Let's go" he said quickly and the team rose and followed their captain onto the pitch.

Ninety minutes later, the game was over and the team in red was celebrating. They won by five goals to two and Albus had scored two from his position on the right side of midfield and being left footed made it easy for him to curl it to the far post.

As the two days of well attended football matches came to an end, all the attention particularly that of the third years, turned towards the upcoming Hogsmeade visit on Halloween. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday passed by agonisingly slowly. Classes seemed to last twice as long and the double periods seemed to be even more prolonged. By time Thursday and Halloween morning came, the clock seemed to come to a stand still at breakfast.

Seeing the younger students look enviously at them as they left the castle brought about the conversation which carried them nearly all the way to the village. Their respective Head of Houses took their permission slips from them as left the castle.

The weather outside was cold but the rain had so far stayed away but Albus had to admit that the sky didn't look very promising as large grey clouds loomed overhead. "I remember always wanting to go" Albus said "and now that we get the chance, I can't decide what I want to do first!

"Yeah" Luke agreed. "I think we should go to Honeydukes first"

"Of course you do" Scorpius sighed. The three boys continued their conversation the entire walk down to the village. Just as they reached the main street of Hogsmeade, the rain began to fall in heavy droves. The three boys quickly ran for cover in the nearest shop which happened to be Honeydukes. Luke was delighted and Albus and Scorpius were quite happy too when they saw everything they had to choose from.

They spent about half an hour buying various sweets and left with considerably less coins jangling in their pockets. The rain had stopped and they next went to Weasley Wizard Wheezes, better known as WWW. Albus was greeted by the familiar face of his uncle George. "Thought I'd be seeing you today. James has just been in."

"Hey. Why are you working her today?" Albus asked. George usually worked in the Diagon Alley shop but did sometimes visit their other branches.

"Hogsmeade day for you guys. It's always hectic so I come down and help. Not to mention that there's a few new things that you can always sell to students and their parents will be none the wiser. Albus was given a few of the test products, Scorpius didn't buy anything and Luke left the shop with a bag of items.

"I think we'll go for a Butterbeer now." Scorpius suggested and his friends were quick to agree. The Three Broomsticks was full of Hogwarts students and Albus quickly rushed to the one free table he could see. It was in the corner yet they could see the entire pub from where they were. Scorpius bought the Butterbeers and they were soon joined by the strangest group Albus had seen. Emily and Ashley were with Rose and Alison Noone. The quartet were laughing about something and they sat around the three boys.

They spent the rest of the day wandering around Hogsmeade, poking their heads into shops to see if there was anything interesting but didn't buy anything for the rest of the day. Only when they were on their way back up to the castle did Albus, Luke and Scorpius were being accompanied to the castle by Emily and Rose. Ashley had gone to see her father who had been stationed in Hogsmeade for that day while Alison Noone went to see some of her other friends. The five realised that they had never gone to the Shrieking Shack and still had half an hour to get back to the castle so decided to take a detour to the abandoned house. The stayed and looked for about five minutes. "It's said to be the most haunted building in Britain but really, its' not" Rose said. When Remus Lupin was at Hogwarts they sent him there to transform. He was a werewolf. The cries and shrieks and all the noises they heard was just him as a werewolf." Rose stated matter-of-factly. This seemed to take the edge off it. It wasn't scary now because they knew that it wasn't at all haunted.

"What did people used to think haunted it?" Albus asked. No one answered as the group pondered a very good question that none of them knew the answer to.

Returning to the trail to take them back to the castle, the five were met with a downpour of rain. The were dripping water as they returned to the castle absolutely soaked. Rose and the others parted ways at the Entrance Hall as she made her way to the Gryffindor common room while the others made their way to the dungeons. They left a trail of water as they got back to the common room and finally got to change out of their wet clothes.

* * *

Ashley returned later that evening and sat in the common room without saying a word. Albus, Luke and Scorpius didn't even realise she was back until Emily called them over.

"I..." Ashley stuttered in a whisper. "I saw him"

"Who?" Albus asked

"The guy..." she said. "I don't know his name. We went to his sentencing" she continued to stutter in a whisper. Albus' face dropped. So did Luke's and Scorpius'. Emily wasn't sure what they were talking about for a moment but when it hit her, she was just as low as the others. They sat in silence, the noise in the common room clearly evident as they sat saying nothing.

"Where did you see him?" Albus asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Near the Shrieking Shack. I was with my dad. I told him and he went and searched the area but there was no one there. I'm full sure it was him" Ashley said. Albus quickly ran up to the dormitory and returned almost instantly holding a roll of parchment, a quill and a bottle of ink and began to quickly trace his left hand across the parchment.

_Dad,  
Ashley just told me that she saw the guy... I can't remember his name. He was in the forest with Parker and we went to his sentencing. Her dad searched the area but found no one. Can you please tell us if he's still in Azkaban or has be got out? We need to know. Surely we have the right to know if he's out there after what he did  
__-Al__  
_

Albus was ready to make his way to the owlery when he was reminded that curfew was in fifteen minutes. "I'll risk it" Albus said as he exited. And risk it he did. He returned after the curfew but managed to negotiate the return journey safely and wasn't caught by any of the teachers or Prefects. All he could do was wait for a reply from his father.

* * *

The wait wasn't long as his father's response came the following morning at breakfast. Albus' snowy white owl was easily distinguishable and Albus hastily removed the letter from the owl's leg who then began to peck at Albus' forgotten breakfast. Scorpius and Emily who were either side of him leaned in and read the letter as Albus did.

_Al,_  
_The Head of Security at Azkaban prison has reassured me that there has been no breach of security. He does weekly checks of the cell and the other officers do daily checks. He is definitely still in the prison and won't be out anytime soon. Hope this reassures you_  
_-HJP_

Albus wasn't fully reassured by this. He remembered his father telling him that trusting unknown people was a risky business and the Head of Security at Azkaban was some unknown to Albus even if he was known to his father.

Albus' attention turned back to his classes but by the following Tuesday tension had once again began to build for the first match of the Quidditch season. In what was a repeat of the previous year's final, champions Slytherin were to take on Gryffindor who kept their new keeper under wraps very well. No one outside Gryffindor house knew who would be filling the void left by Dominique Weasley.

Classes passed by and Albus was sure to keep up to date on his homework which he did rather well but the last period on Friday was a heart breaker for Albus. It was Defence Against the Dark Arts with Professor Fulton and she had decided to have them duel telling them to only use the spells they had learned in class. Many of the students knew only the shield charm to protect themselves and knew a few offensive jinxes as well as how to disarm.

When Conor Kavanagh demanded that Albus duel him, the Slytherin had no problem accepting. The duel didn't last very long as Albus was much quicker than his opponent. Albus quickly disarmed him and then dropped the Gryffindor's boy's wand. He was quick to lurch forward, pick up his wand and attempt to jinx Albus from behind bwhtut once again Albus used his reactions to favour him and turned quickly, firing a stunning spell at Conor Kavanagh. He dropped in a heap onto the ground and the angry professor sent Albus to the Headmistress' office and told him that she would be there as soon as she got Kavanagh to the Hospital Wing.

Albus waited outside the stone gargoyle and Professor Fulton was there about twenty minutes later. She said the password and ordered Albus to follow her up to Professor McGonagall's office. Albus wondered why she was upset and Albus was confused when she ordered him to sit and tell the Headmistress what he did.

"Professor, I'm not really sure what I did wrong" Albus said. Professor Fulton cut across.

"He stunned a student in my class" she said angrily.

"Is this true Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Yeah but-" Albus started.

"But nothing. That is not ACCEPTABLE" she roared loudly, emphasizing 'acceptable'.

"Potter, tell me your side of the story" Professor McGonagall said.

"Well, we were told to duel. I beat Conor Kavanagh and then dropped his wand on the ground. He picked it up and tried to jinx me from behind. I turned and reacted. I stunned him"

"This sounds like self defence to me" Professor McGonagall told them.

"I want him to serve detention tomorrow morning." Professor Fulton told them, much calmer than she was the last time she spoke.

"He will be playing a Quidditch match in the morning. If you are so keen for him to be detained you can do it this evening or any time after the Quidditch game tomorrow."

"Sunday will do" she said. "Five o'clock, my office" she said leaving Professor McGonagall's office.

"Thanks professor" Albus said.

"It was no problem. I will be looking forward to the match tomorrow. It wouldn't be as entertaining if you weren't playing. I love that brother versus brother rivalry that yourself and James show when it comes to Quidditch. Not to mention the family rivalry with the rest of the team. Good luck, Albus" she said. Albus took this as his dismissal and left the office with a glance at the portraits of Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape.

* * *

The Slytherin Quidditch team was assembled in the dressing room below their grandstand. The noise of the Slytherin crowd above them was very audible as they got ready. Everyone finished pulling on their robes and pads and Albus looked around. They looked focused and ready to go. The question Albus asked himself was 'are the new guys up for it?'. He knew that it would be a different experience watching a game and playing in it. He got to his feet and paced over and back.

"Are you up for it?" he asked them. The team was met with a unanimous response of 'yes'. "Are you really all up for it?" The team roared 'yes' at him again. "This is what we've worked hard for. There's one set of fans shouting for us. There's three hoping we lose. The rest of the school is against us. We have to use that to our advantage. We need to go out there and play on the front foot. We need to win the first ball. We need to win our individual battles, all the fifty fifty balls. We have a job to do out there, let's go and do it" Albus said to his team. They all got purposefully off the bench and made their way towards the pitch.

"Here comes the champions! They... are... Slytherin!" the commentator roared. Albus recognised the voice as that of fifth year Slytherin Rory Davis. "They are lead by captain and Seeker, Slytherin hero Albus Potter!" Each sentence was met with a loud cheer from the Slytherin fans. "Scorpius Malfoy and Ashley Wilson are the only other remaining players from last year's championship winning team. They are joined by new boys Vince McMahon and Tim Clarke at Beater. Amy Barry and Liam Bowen join Wilson as the other Chasers!" The crowd continued to cheer as each line from Rory Davis praised the Slytherin team. "Albus Potter has never lost a game at Hogwarts be it for Hogwarts or Slytherin."

"And today's opponents, last years's losing finalists, Gryffindor" he announced. "Led by Beater Fred Weasley, they have six of the team that lost last year. Jordan Leonard replaces Dominique Weasley. So that team in full is Leonard, Fred Weasley and Louis Weasley are the Beaters. The chasing trio is unchanged from last year. That's Molly and Lucy Weasley as well as Roxanne Weasley. And the brother of our brilliant Seeker is the opposing Seeker today. That's James Potter" James' name was met with huge cheers from not only the Gryffindor supporters but the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs too.

Albus and Fred shook hands giving each other deadly stares as they did so. "You wouldn't think these two are cousins because right now they look like bitter enemies." Rory said. The game was soon underway and the Slytherins showed the intent and hunger Albus wanted to see from his team. Ashley won the first Quaffle from the throw in and they immediately scored on that play. They were soon forty nil ahead playing at a blistering pace and Gryffindor couldn't live with them The Chasers linked up brilliantly and the Beaters were aggressive and both played outstanding early on meaning in the first fifteen minutes of the game, Scorpius only touched the Quaffle once. "Slytherin have blitzed the Gryffindor side in the first fifteen minutes, something very similar to what happened in this fixture last year. Gryffindor were completely on top but couldn't find a way past Malfoy but today Slytherin have been clinical and lead by one hundred points to nil.

The pace the Slytherins were playing at soon took its toll and Gryffindor finally got a foot hold in the match. They began to keep the Quaffle out of Slytherin hands and managed to beat Scorpius on three consecutive occasions. The game was back and forth with neither side being able to hold onto the Quaffle and get a shot and the Beaters were clearly on top. Albus and James had so far been no more than privileged spectators as there had been no sign of the Snitch. The golden ball had so far evaded the brothers and the crowd was getting agitated about the lack of action. An hour of play gave Slytherin a two hundred to one hundred and forty lead. A sudden cheer brought Albus' attention immediately towards James but his brother was still hovering in the similar position he had been for the entire match. Albus saw it. Scorpius had been struck by a Bludger and was now lying in the sand at the bottom of the hoops. Slytherin were now without a keeper but Ashley was quick to assume that position. Albus remembered her saying that her dad had her play every position. Another sudden roar and this time James was on the move. Albus scanned the pitch and saw the Snitch. It was actually closer to Albus and he immediately accelerated towards it. The pair raced towards it and Albus had the advantage but only just. He felt the wind whip through his hair and into his face as he raced James. The pair neared the Snitch and the Snitch dove downwards. Both Potters followed it into a dive before the Snitch moved back upwards. Albus' reactions were a tad bit quicker he was out of his dive and racing back towards the Snitch. Albus reached the Snitch and closed his left hand around the Snitch. James was unable to move from his course and collided with his brother. Both were knocked from their brooms but their teammates were quick to fly under them and break their fall. Upon being returned to the ground, Albus shook hands with his brother as well as the rest of the Gryffindor team who, despite not showing any happiness in Albus' victory, congratulated him on his win.

"And Albus Potter does it again" Rory Davis shouted. "Still unbeaten! Still the superior Potter! The final score is three hundred and ninety to one hundred and ninety for the reigning champions, Slytherin!" The Slytherin crowd cheered and sang as their team celebrated on the pitch while all the other students filed quietly out. Scorpius had already been brought to the Hospital Wing and that was to be his, and probably the team's, first destination once they left the changing rooms.

They slowly cleared the pitch and returned to the changing rooms. "Well done, everyone" Albus said to his team. "That was brilliant. We showed the hunger and desire to win and that's why we won" he continued. "Absolutely brilliant. I'm going to see Scorpius, I hope you come along" he finished.


	8. Trust

**Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over the Harry Potter series. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling**

**A/N: Apologies for not updating last week and updating late this week but I've had a hectic last two weeks. My schedule is allowing me more free time now and to make up for the lack of updates, there will be another chapter uploaded in the coming days**

**8: Trust**

Albus once again basked in the attention that he received from winning the match for his house. As per usual, he received claps on the back and congratulations from every Slytherin student in the school. He also continued to enjoy the family bragging rights but had learned to exercise them carefully as he had matured more. Perhaps what Albus was happiest about was the fact he no longer alone held the bragging rights in the family. He now shared them with Lily and when she congratulated him and told him that he had played excellently after the game, Albus finally knew that both of them were in the right house.

November became the most eventful month yet. Albus served his detention with Professor Fulton who seemed completely different during the hour she made him clean her office. She was kinder, offered him a drink and biscuits, didn't scold him when he accidentally broke a picture of her and her family and let him go when he was only half finished. Albus knew that people were often different outside of their working hours but Albus thought that there was something odd about the new professor.

The month then brought Albus a huge low. He fell off his broom in practice, dislocating his shoulder which ruled him out for two weeks and the following day Hufflepuff crushed Ravenclaw in the second game of the Quidditch season. Hufflepuff looked good and they worked as a unit absolutely steam rolling the Ravenclaws. Albus felt uncomfortable for the next week and even missed two days of classes because of severe pain in his shoulder. According to Madam Pomfrey his shoulder had not been 'popped' back into its socket properly. This meant that Madam Pomfrey had to readjust his arm back into its socket, something that Albus didn't at all enjoy.

Arithmancy was soon becoming a favoured class of Albus and when he was asked to complete a chart by Professor Goyo, Albus did it in less than five minutes. He hadn't expected to be good with numbers but he proved himself wrong. Potions still remained at the top of the list of Albus' favourite class. Despite the fact he still enjoyed Defence Against the Dark Arts, Professor Fulton continued to teach them about various dark creatures and the best ways to protect yourself from them. Albus couldn't deny that she knew her stuff. Classes proved to be getting more difficult as the year progressed, something that the teachers promised would happen in third year and beyond.

November then turned again, this time the emotion that it brought was nervousness and worry. One Friday morning in the middle of November the Great Hall was abuzz with the news the morning delivery of the _Daily Prophet._ The banner headline couldn't be more clearer and the article was very informative. _'Three Sightings of "incarcerated" killer sparks worry among locals' _the headline read. Scorpius immediately showed it to Albus and Luke who shared similar reactions. Their faces were worried and confused. Neither were sure what to think and Albus was quick to ask Scorpius what the article was about being too lazy to actually read it. "Three separate people in Dufftown spotted the guy we got locked up. The same guy who Ashley said she spotted. Dufftown isn't far from here" Scorpius told them.

"Did the Auror office comment?" Albus asked. Scorpius scanned the article once more.

"Yeah. John Wilson, Auror Office Spokesman, said 'due to persistent rumours that there has been a breakout of Azkaban prison of a prisoner who was being detained in the High Security Unit are, as we are currently aware of, false. Head Auror Harry Potter plans to travel to Azkaban prison tomorrow afternoon (today) to quash these rumours once and for all"

"That sounds like they're not very confident at all" Albus said. "If they were one hundred per cent sure, my dad wouldn't have to go there at all"

"Albus is right" Luke said. "They have a guy who runs the place, right?" Luke asked rhetorically. "If they trusted him they could just ask him for definite. The fact that your dad has to go out there to make sure shows that he, at least, is worried and isn't trusting the guys out there"

The others agreed and their theory was proven to be right later that evening when Albus received a letter from his father. _Al, _it started, _I'm just back from Azkaban and the news isn't good. He's gone from his cell. The guards said he was there when they did a cell check yesterday morning and hadn't done one today. Worse, Nathan Gillis, my head of Security at Azkaban has gone AWOL. They said that he came in yesterday evening and left after about an hour. He wasn't in today at all_

Albus was now worried. Ashley was right, most likely and the people in Dufftown had every right to be worried. This however told Albus one thing; he didn't know where Parker and the rest of his mates were. Albus took the guess they hid out in Dufftown when they were holding secret meetings with Parker while he was a Hogwarts professor. The Aurors also knew where to start looking for him and with any luck, he would lead them to Parker.

* * *

Professor Fulton began to become extremely moody. One day she would be very kind and polite. She would be nice to the class and one of the best and nicest teachers in Hogwarts. On other days, she would be annoyed and angry. On these days, Professor Fulton was easily irritated and nearly always took her anger out on the class, Albus in particular. Professor Goyo was continually impressed by Albus' work in Arithmancy while all the teachers were contented by what Albus was doing in class except for the Astronomy professor and Professor Binns who taught History of Magic. Albus hated both subjects as of late and it wasn't something that particularly bothered him. The week continued to near an end and the third week of the eleventh month ended with an issue that it began the month with. There had been no news on the escaped prisoner front until the _Daily Prophet _managed to get a scoop about the story the Ministry attempted to keep quiet while the Auror conducted a search. Albus had heard from his mother that Harry was home very late and gone early in an attempt to catch the man they sought. The newspaper revealed that the prisoner (despite the fact the paper didn't name him they posted his picture and his list of felonies, everyone knew who he was) had broken out of Azkaban and was currently on the run looking to reunite with Parker and his followers.

Harry was very angry about the leak but was far too busy to find out where it came from. Albus wrote him a letter to assure him that he didn't tell anyone apart from Luke and Scorpius as well as Emily and Ashley. Harry's reply was brief but reassured Albus. _I know it wasn't you or any of your friends, _it read, _I trust you completely and that trust extends to your friends. If you trust them, I trust them. _This reassured Albus and he was hoped that the Aurors got their man soon.

Albus' month ended on a huge low as one evening he was attacked. He was returning from being in the library with Rose when he felt something make contact with the make of his head. The power of it knocked him over and the cool air at the back of his head told Albus that he was bleeding. He suddenly saw a foot about to make contact with his midsection. Time after time he was kicked in the ribs and in the back as well as a stamp on the face, he eventually lost consciousness.

He woke up in the Hospital Wing with Emily leaning over him. "He's awake" she murmured and reached down and wrapped her arms around Albus in a hug. Albus' body felt tender and she quickly released. Albus smiled and knew that his face was turning red. She sat back into the chair beside Albus' bed.

"What happened?" he asked her, pain filling him suddenly.

"You got beaten up." Emily said bluntly. "That's about all we know"

"I sorta remember it now" Albus said. "Something hard hit me in the back of the head and I knew it was bleeding. Then I got kicked, a lot" Albus added. "That's the last thing I remember"

"That's about as much as we know" Emily told him.

"Where are the others?" Albus asked.

"Gone to dinner" she replied. "You've been out for nearly two days. We were all worried that you might never wake up"

"Why aren't you at dinner?" he asked.

"I'm not hungry" she said quickly. "We've taken turns staying here in case you wake up"

Madam Pomfrey rushed over to Albus' bed and to the boy'sdismay, he saw she was carrying a large goblet that undoubtedly contained some remedy. She asked him how he was and he replied with the truth; sore and in pain. Just as she had thought, she told him, and told him to drink the goblet of cold transparent liquid. Albus had been in the Hospital Wing enough to know to not to question Madam Pomfrey and just to take whatever she gave him.

"He needs rest" she said. "I think you should get some rest as well"

"I've been put for two days. Let her stay for another while." Albus pleaded.

"Very well" Madam Pomfrey agreed. She went back into her office. After a few minutes, Albus began to feel better and Scorpius, Luke and Ashley arrived after dinner, surprised but happy to see their friend was awake. They rushed over, received a warning from Madam Pomfrey for the noise, dismissed it and continued over to their friends bed in the far corner of the room.

"I'm good. A bit sore, in a bit of pain. Don't know anymore than you do apart from the fact there was at least two people. Now that I think of it" he said.

"I've got a hunch" Scorpius said.

"I'm thinking the same" Albus said to his friends.

"Conor Kavangh and co." Emily said. The three boys nodded. "Except Rose and the two lads were the only ones who knew you were out. We didn't even know you were gone" she said.

"She probably told them that she was meeting me in the library" Albus said.

"I doubt she did it on purpose. Maybe she told one of her friends, that one whose twin is friends with Kavanagh. She might have told her and she told her brother." Ashley added.

"Probably" Albus concurred. He trusted Rose not to intentionally set him for an attack especially as the two were getting back to a point in their friendship where they were before they were split by the Sorting Hat on their first day at Hogwarts. Albus knew that had she told anyone of the Gryffindors that disliked Albus, she wouldn't have done so intentionally especially after Albus had punched Conor Kavanagh and gotten away with it.

Albus was released from the Hospital Wing the following day with stern warnings to stay away from any activity which was too strenuous. He made sure to adhere to these warnings. After dinner later that evening when the students were leaving the Great Hall, Conor Kavanagh saw Albus and smiled at him as they made eye contact. He then made a kicking gesture and his grin became even broader as Albus didn't flinch. The throng of the crowd leaving the Great Hall carried them away from each other and what made it worse for Albus was he knew that Kavanagh would get away with it.

November became colder as the days went by and the first of December brought a hard frost across the school grounds. Any of the classes that were due to take place outside were brought inside to one of the empty classrooms and this meant a lot of theory work, something Albus didn't particularly enjoy with Hagrid in Care of Magical Creatures or Herbology with Professor Longbottom but he could do nothing about it.

"Okay," Professor Fulton said in a Defence Against the Dark Arts class. She was in one of her better moods today. "Red caps. Now unfortunately I couldn't get one but we can talk about them anyway. Can anyone tell me what a red cap is?" she asked the class. Everybody looked towards Rose but she had remained unmoved in her seat. "Anybody?" she asked again. Nobody flinched. "A smile came onto Professor Fulton's face. Whenever no one in the class knew the answer, Professor Fulton would make them write an essay on the topic. "Uhmmmm... twelve inches of parchment on red caps. You may begin now. That is for Monday" she said. The classroom fell completely silent and was then filled with scratching of quills and turning of pages as everyone was writing their essays on red caps.

The first Saturday in December brought the second round of football matches for Muggle Studies and Albus' team took on Luke's. Albus' team won again which put them on top of the standings. The score was one goal to nil and Albus scored the winning goal; a penalty kick. It ended badly for Luke however as he broke his leg during the match. Luke was playing as a forward and a freak accident involving centre back and captain Jason Powell. Luke's studs on his football boots got stuck in the wet ground and Jason Powell slid through, bending the leg in a way in which it shouldn't be bent. He was rushed straight to the Hospital Wing and as soon as the game was over, Albus rushed to his the Hospital Wing. Scorpius was waiting outside the doors and he told Albus that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let him in while she was working on him. Jason Powell arrived just after they had been let in and apologised to Luke. "'Tis no problem really. I'll be alright."

"I'm really sorry" he kept repeating before being forced to leave.

"Don't bother bringing any homework or anything here so I don't have to do it" Luke told his two friends before they left.

"We won't" Albus replied/


	9. Two and a Half

**D**i**sclaimer: I claim no ownership over the Harry Potter series. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling**

**9: Two and a Half**

Trust was becoming something that was harder to find in Hogwarts. Albus knew he could trust his closest friends, his family and that was about it. Anyone that didn't fall into either of those categories was now not trusted by Albus after all the going ons, especially in the month of November.

December continued to be dry and cold and this wasn't Albus' favourite weather as it meant that both Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures were to be held inside which meant continued lessons without any practical work. Or so he thought. The second week in December, Wednesday morning and the double class, Professor Longbottom entered the room with pots and bags of soil trailing behind him. Bringing up the rear of the line of floating items was more pots but these contained very funny looking plants. They were coloured the different colours of the rainbow and the striped plants were like miniature trees.

"These are rainbow plants" Professor Longbottom said. "Sometimes called rainbow trees, these ones are only young. This is nearly two years growth and need to be put into bigger pots. That's what we're going to be doing today." Professor Longbottom told the class.

"Professor," Luke asked, fully recovered from his broken leg thanks to the brilliant healing of Madam Pomfrey. "what do these things actually do?"

"Good question, simple answer." Professor Longbottom responded. "These are what create rainbows. When it rains and the sun is out, these trees send out the spectrums of light that creates a rainbow. It's complicated to explain exactly how it works but these are a relatively recently discovered so we have them to study. They are very slow growing plants so we're not exactly sure how long it will take for these to reach full maturity. As we have done for the past two sets of third years, we will monitor the growth of these plants. It will also help to answer a question in your exam. Anyway, split into groups of two or three and start putting them into bigger pots. You all know the score by now" Professor Longbottom finished. The noise rose slightly as people began to group themselves. The obvious group of Luke, Scorpius and Albus formed and they began to re-pot the plants.

The class worked until the five minutes before bell when Professor Longbottom told them to leave and get themselves tidied up for the next class. He told his class that he would clean up the mess they left behind. Albus, Luke and Scorpius returned to the common room and quickly washed their hands and brushed the remaining dirt off their robes. They gathered their books for the next class and quietly left the common room having been scolded by the studying seventh years on their way in.

Scorpius continued to pester his friends to study more about the upcoming summer tests. "We have three and a half weeks or so from the first of December and two and a half weeks until the start of the exams." He would tell them. "You should really start studying. A week later and both boys had began studying for the upcoming exams, mostly to quieten their over eager friend. The few times they met with Rose, she would pester them about studying.

"You two are made for each other" Albus told them repeatedly.

"Don't be preposterous" both of them would reply, or something along those lines. Albus knew it however, they liked it each other even though none of them would admit to it. He knew by the way they acted around each other but any time he would bring up the subject, they would retort with "we all know who you fancy Al. It's clear as day" Albus wasn't particularly sure if this was an empty threat or they honestly thought he liked something but he definitely didn't know who they were talking about. As far as he was concerned, he had no love interest at the moment. Or so he liked to tell himself.

They continued to document the rainbow plants in Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures continued to be held inside and Hagrid wasn't subtle as he dropped hints about what would be on their Christmas exam. Potions was still the top of the list of Albus' favourite subjects and he continued to excel under the watchful eye of the professor whom he had grown closer to since the start of the year. Professor Fulton continued to be her moody self but instead of mood changing by week, they now began to change daily and sometimes several times during class. Albus wondered if she was all there mentally. He thought she might have a mental disability or mental health issue. He wasn't sure though and was definitely not going to ask. Charms continued to be somewhere in the middle of the pile, he was decent at it but was never overzealous to work hard at the subject. Among the other subjects in the average block were Transfiguration and late night Astronomy. Albus was far too tired to be bothered to do anything strenuous in the class.

Days ticked away as the Christmas exams neared and everyone had their head buried in the books while they weren't in class or in some people's case, playing Quidditch. There were some people in the school who saw it as Quidditch first, schoolwork second and Albus was one of those people.

The exams loomed and they received their timetable the morning before they started. Albus hadn't overworked himself with study but had done enough, he thought, to do well in the Christmas exams. The morning of the first exam, Albus' attention was taken completely off the Herbology exam in twenty minutes time. Where most people in the Great Hall were cramming over breakfast, Luke and Albus (but only a bit because he was helping Luke), Scorpius felt he had done his preparation and read the Daily Prophet over breakfast, one thing that the blonde haired boy always did without fail. He nudged Albus and pointed to one of the articles in the paper. Albus leaned over towards Scorpius and began to read the article just above Scorpius' finger. "Aurors last night closed in on the capture of escaped Azkaban prisoner Mulciber." Albus mumbled to himself. "Auror John Wilson was speaking to the paper's reporters yesterday and told us that they believed they had located their man and were readying themselves to apprehend their target" Albus continued to mumble. The short article ended there but Albus was now consumed by the fact they could soon have Mulciber back in prison. He was nervous and excited at the same time and his focus was no longer on the upcoming examinations.

A nudge from Scorpius brought Albus back to the there and now and was soon on his way with his two friends to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom; they would have all their examinations in that classroom. Albus' mind continued to wander; he kept thinking that at that very moment his father and other Aurors were probably closing in on capturing Mulciber. Albus tried to distance himself from these thoughts and focus on not only the Herbology exam, but all the exams he would face through the week. The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and the classroom next to it housed all the third years. They were to all take the same exam at the same time.

Professor Longbottom handed out the exam papers and ordered them to begin and he left to give out the examThe class knew that the exam would only be written as they had spent so much time inside in recent weeks.. They would do an hour and half written exam. Albus took his time and answered as thoroughly as he could. He finished with ten minutes to spare and checked over his answers. He knew that he waffled for two of the questions because he didn't really know the answer but other than those two, he was relatively happy with how he had done. Despite the fact two hours was allocated for every exam, Professor Longbottom dismissed them half an hour early, as he told them he would. Albus, Luke and Scorpius retreated to the common room to pass half an hour. Scorpius, as expected, had a final look over his notes while Luke flittered through sheets of parchment trying to learn the last remnants of his Muggle Studies notes. Albus however, allowed his mind to drift and it quickly got to Mulciber and whether or not the Aurors were any closer to capturing him. When a fourth year that Albus didn't know entered, Albus saw the family owl in tow behind her. The owl landed in front of Albus. The young boy removed the letter that was tied to her leg, rubbed her head and the owl took off out the once again opening door of the common room.

Albus unrolled the piece of parchment and recognised his father's handwriting. "Ignore whatever the paper says" Albus mumbled as he read the letter. "We received a tip off about where Mulciber might be and nothing more. Nothing concrete. We went to check it out last night. He wasn't there. We'll talk more during the holidays. Concentrate on doing well on your exams. HJP" Albus finished mumbling to himself. Scorpius and Luke were both looking at him when he looked up from the letter. He passed the small piece of ink covered parchment to Scorpius. Luke read it over his shoulder.

"Take your dad's advice." Scorpius said. "Forget about it for now and concentrate on the exams for the week"

"I'll try. Muggle Studies next." Albus said.

"Free period for me" Scorpius said, once again flicking through his notes. They soon got up and had lunch with the rest of the school before they were making their way back to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom corridor. Professor Woodward was standing outside the classroom door.

"Welcome. Sit anywhere" Professor Woodward said in her usual kind voice. Albus and Luke sat beside each other in the middle of the classroom and waited as the students filed in around them. Professor Woodward had told them that a percentage of their grade would be given from the football tournament. Not wanting to rate them on performance; she instead said they would be graded on their efforts. She also told them that there would be questions on football and on what they had done in class. Albus felt quietly confident that he could do well on this exam.

_Name five British football teams. _Albus read the first question again and thought. "Manchester United" he mumbled to himself. "Manchester City" he wrote them two down. "Celtic" he mumbled as he wrote it. "Rangers" he remembered they were the Glasgow arch rivals of Celtic. The last team he wrote was 'Liverpool'. "That was easy" he thought to himself.

Questions two to seven were then on what they had learned in class, a lot of it based on technology muggles developed to cope without magic. Albus answered these questions, taking perhaps a bit longer than he should have. He still had an hour and six question remaining as soon as he finished fourteen questions and was now back to questions on football.

"Ten minutes remaining" Professor Woodward said. Albus hadn't even noticed the time tick away and he still had the last question to answer. _20) Explain, in detail, the offside rule. _Albus thought about it and began to write.

"_A player is offside if he is between the last defender and goalkeeper when the ball is kicked. A player could also be offside if he is past the goalkeeper and line of defence when the ball is kicked. If there is a player behind the goalkeeper, then the goalkeeper is rendered the last defender and the player behind him as the 'goalkeeper' role. A player cannot be offside inside his own half of the pitch. A player can also not be offside if the ball is played sideways or backwards. In line with the last defender is considered as onside. The offside rule does not apply from a throw in or corner kick." _Albus wrote. He felt he had covered it in as much detail as he could remember.

"Time up" Professor Woodward said. Everyone put down their quills and the professor produced her wand. "Accio" she said. Every sheet of parchment zoomed into her waiting arms. "Dismissed" she said to her class who gathered their things and filed out of the classroom. One day of exams down, four to go was the way everyone was looking at it.

Dinner that evening was a noisy affair. Everyone was discussing that days exams and were talking about how they answered respective questions or how they think they got on. Albus and Luke discussed the Muggle Studies exam while Scorpius listened. "I don't know why you would take Muggle Studies. Seems like a waste of time to me"

"Better than Runes" Luke retorted and Albus had to agree. He had seen Scorpius doing work for Ancient Runes and it looked very boring, very difficult and rather pointless. Scorpius had a differing point of view and the three argued their points all evening until they all decided that it was time for bed. An evening of study had gone but luckily for Albus and Luke, they had no exam in the morning period as third years were scheduled for Ancient Runes.

Scorpius didn't seem too bothered about not being able to study the previous evening as he returned from the Ancient Runes exam confident that he had answered everything correctly. They had all seemed to forget about the disagreement the previous evening and were joined for lunch by Emily and Ashley as well as Rose who spent much of her time discussing the Runes exam with Scorpius. The other four were talking about their next exam; Charms. Professor Flitwick was never one to set an easy exam and he didn't fail to disappoint as they found out with an hour of a written exam before and individual practical.

The written exam was difficult to say the least. He tested them on everything they had done in their two and a half years at Hogwarts. The things they had done in first and second year were answered by Albus but he had to admit he struggled slightly to answer in as much detail when it came to the questions from third year. Professor Flitwick had that knack of putting in questions on things that he had done but hadn't spent too much time on or on topics on which he made the class write essays. He finished with a few minutes to spare and Professor Flitwick collected the exam papers the second the clock ticked onto one hour. He collected the papers from the other third years in the classroom next door and soon, all of third years were crowded into one classroom. He began to call each student alphabetically into the next classroom. 'Archer, Charles' was the first to be called out as usual.

"Poor kid" Albus whispered to Scorpius who nodded in agreement. The Hufflepuff boy was always first when they were taken in alphabetical order. Albus waited as everyone ahead of him was called out. Sometimes he loved being a 'Potter' because he was always so far down the list but there were other times when he hated having to wait so long. People were taken away and the time was not set. It varied from one person to the next. He watched Scorpius go, closely followed by Luke. Not long after, little Professor Flitwick called 'Potter, Albus'. After more than a forty minute wait, Albus got up and followed the professor into the next classroom. As he left, he saw Ashley and Rose in conversation. Being Wilson and Weasley they would probably be called out one after the other.

"Please pull that," he pointed towards the far side of the classroom "book over". Albus thought. It was the seize and pull charm that they had learned only a few weeks ago. He pointed his wand at the book.

"Carpe Retractum" Albus said moving his hand in a whip like fashion. A bright orange rope sprang from Albus' wand and wrapped around the book. He pulled his wand back slightly and the orange rope began retracting bringing the book with it. The book hit Professor Flitwick on the back of the head and fell onto the ground behind him. "Sorry" Albus said. Professor Flitwick didn't respond and just wrote something on the long roll of parchment in front of him. Out of nowhere, the table burst into flames.

"Stop the fire" Professor Flitwick said. Without panicking, Albus pointed his wand.

"Glacius" Albus said. The ice which erupted from the end of Albus' wand immediately cooled the fire. Also on the table was a bowl of water which was filled with water. Albus' spell had frozen the water in the bowel solid.

"Excellent" Professor Flitwick said making more notes. "Please go into the next classroom." Albus did so and made his way down the hall and into the classroom where everyone that had already completed the exam. Albus spotted Scorpius and Luke and joined them.

"It went well" Albus responded when asked how he got in. "I hit Professor Flitwick with a book but apart from that, I think I did everything else right. Luke suppressed a laugh and Scorpius just smiled. They talked about what they had to for the exam when, eventually, the bell went and everyone had completed their exam. Albus was relived to say the least. Two days down, three to go.

The third years were scheduled to have Astronomy that night but they were informed that the professor's mother had died which meant that there wouldn't be an exam because she hadn't left one for them before she departed to her house to grieve the loss.

Wednesday morning brought the Defence Against the Dark Arts exam. Professor Fulton wouldn't be giving them a practical exam so two hours writing was the format their exam would take. Entering the classroom, Professor Fulton had everything ready. The exam papers were face down on the table and she told them to take the seats which had their name written on the back of the paper. Albus found his seat and began waiting. The classroom filled and once everyone was in the classroom, they began. As expected, the exam was based only on what they had done since Professor Fulton took charge of the class. Albus seemed to race through the exam and was finished with a little less than half an hour left. Professor Fulton said that once they were finished, they could leave and Albus did exactly that ten minutes later after a quick read through it.

That afternoon they had Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid took them outside and showed them an arrangement of creatures. All the class had to do was name each creature and give a property of each. It was an easy exam, in Albus' opinion, and everyone had it done within an hour. Hagrid allowed them to leave once they were finished.

Arithmancy and Transfiguration on Thursday were both practical exams. They had to use different equations to fill out a chart for Arithmancy and the Transfiguration practical took the same format as the Charms one. Albus felt he did pretty well on both of the exams.

Friday was the last day of the exams. Everyone was relieved that they were soon to be finished. Potions was a half and half exam. They did a written exam and made a potion, much of which came to Albus with ease. The written exam didn't cause him any problems and the potion they made was a Confusing Concoction. Albus felt that he made it perfectly but that would be up to Professor Kelly who made each student fill a vial with the potion and he would grade it at a later date.

Their final exam was the worst one they could have left until last; History of Magic. A two hour exam consisting of things that Albus had no idea about, he made up most of the answers and hoped for the best.

Finally, their Christmas holidays were upon them and Albus couldn't be happier. As expected, the difficulty of the exams had escalated since the previous year's summer ones. Nonetheless, they were over and they didn't have to worry about schoolwork for about two and a half weeks. The Hogwarts Express was due to leave at eleven the following morning and the excitement for Christmas began to build as they were now only four days away from December the twenty-fifth.

Albus, Luke and Scorpius boarded the train at Hogsmeade Station and waited for the clock to strike eleven. Once it did, the train was moving and the excitement was building. Despite the fact that everyone loved being at Hogwarts, they also loved being able to see their families and celebrate with them. They were soon joined, as was expected by now, by Ashley and Emily. The mood was good and the five were enjoying themselves. The mood dropped however, as Ashley broke some saddening news. "My mother wants to move back to Australia and she wants me and dad to go with her" Ashley told her stunned friends. Albus, Luke, Scorpius and Emily sat there with the same wide eyed silent expression. "Her mother is sick and mum doesn't like being so far away from her. I'm not sure what we're going to do but if I don't come back after Christmas, you all know why. I've been here for pretty much two and a half years if you include the tournament in first year. I've really enjoyed my time here and you guys are great. I'll really miss all of you, everyone really and I'll miss Hogwarts and Slytherin especially. I don't want to go, we've a Quidditch Cup to win this year but I'll have to do what's best for the rest of the family"

"Did you know about this Emily?" Albus asked.

"Not until it came out of her mouth" Emily replied.

"Don't think of this as goodbye for the last time" Luke said. "Think of it as a goodbye until after Christmas. It's two against one; let's just hope that your dad wears the trousers in the relationship!" Luke finished. Everyone laughed. The young Irishman was nearly always able to ease the tension of a situation with witty comments and sarcastic remarks, being the former this time.


	10. Broken and Replaced

**Disclaimer: This story is based on the characters and worlds of J.K Rowling.**

**A/N: Please forgive me in the delay of uploading this chapter. The weather has been really good here lately and I was basking in the sunshine and twenty and higher degrees of heat that we so rarely get in Ireland. It didn't last forever and the rain came and drove me back inside to write this chapter for all of the readers**

**10: Broken and Replaced**

As was always the case, the Potters were to spend Christmas at the Burrow. Ginny met them at King's Cross and they journeyed across the capital to their home of Grimmauld Place. Ginny told them that their father would be working every day except Christmas Day when he would be on call if there was an emergency. He would also be working late on Christmas Eve and it was anyone's guess what time he would finish. They would make their traditional trip to Godric's Hollow before going to the Burrow on Christmas Eve.

Albus lounged around the house for the next couple of days, not wanting and not bothering to do too much. He and James played a small sided one-on-one Quidditch game on the evening before Christmas Eve. It was extremely cold when both boys lost control of their brooms because their limbs were so cold and collided. The brooms were the first things to hit each other and while Albus and James escaped unscathed, their brooms were beyond magical repair. Albus' cracked from top to bottom, barely being held together by a few splinters of wood while James' was about a foot or two shorter as the top of the handle broke off. Picking up the scraps, both boys went inside, more than happy to enter the warm kitchen. "Ohhh" Ginny said upon seeing the scraps of brooms on the floor.

* * *

Harry arrived home at around six o clock on Christmas Eve. The other four Potters had their bags ready for the trip to the Burrow but first they would make their traditional visit to the grave of Harry's parents, Albus' grandparents, in Godric's Hollow. As was the normal procedure, Harry sent the bags to the Burrow and, being Head Auror, he was able to pull a few strings so that the children could Side-Along Apparate to Godric's Hollow and then onto the Burrow without the Ministry being bothered about the underage apparition.

Albus and James took hold of one of Harry's arms each and they were soon experiencing that all too familiar of Apparition. Albus felt as if he was being forced through a very narrow tube. He was holding his breath and when he felt his feet hit solid ground once more, he exhaled deeply. Harry laughed as both his sons on either side of him were catching their breaths. "You get used to it after a while" Harry said to Albus and James. Ginny and Lily were standing a few yards away from them and the five were soon walking down the main street of Godric's Hollow. Snow had started to fall and it crunched under their feet as they walked. Finding the graveyard was easy, they had done it for so many years that the way was programmed into them. The walk was automatic. On arrival in the small graveyard beside the church, Albus, James, Lily and Ginny stood just back from Harry as he bowed his head in front of his parent's graves. Removing his wand from his robes, he transfigured a wreath of flowers onto the grave. The snow was now falling heavy and the array of colours from the flowers brought brightness to a rather dull graveyard. A few minutes passes and Harry turned back towards his family. They were ready to go.

One again, Albus took one hold of one of Harry's arms while James took hold of the other. Moments later they were once again experiencing the feeling of Apparition. Upon arriving at the Burrow, Albus caught his breath. "When do we get used to the feeling?" Albus asked as they walked towards the multi-storied house that was the Burrow.

"After a few years of Apparating every other day" Harry said with a smile. Albus had seen so little of his father since he had got home for the holidays and he was happy to spend this time with his father knowing that if there was an emergency tomorrow, his father would be called away as would his uncle Ron. Albus' grandmother was waiting at the door and she rushed out to them as they arrived.

"Albus" she said, pulling him into a hug. Molly Weasley released Albus, brushed her greying hair out of her face and pulled James into a hug. "James. They're all inside waiting for you. Both of you" The boys made their way inside while Harry and Molly waited at the door for Ginny and Lily to arrive. Albus and James were greeted by all their cousins who were still at Hogwarts. Dominique as well as her sister Victoire was absent. Dominique had been signed by the Winbourne Wasps in the middle of October after their top keeper was injured. She was only a reserve but had to attend training and after they suffered a humiliating defeat in their last game, the manager decided they would train late on Christmas Eve. Victoire was with Teddy and his grandmother; they would all be coming over tomorrow. After years of secretive dating, the two had finally made their relationship public much to the delight of the Weasley children.

Christmas Eve was a very low key affair. Albus, James, Louis, Fred and Hugo were in the room that Albus and James shared for most of the evening. They talked about school; many of the questions were directed at Hugo who had now completed half of his first year. Albus was sure that Lily was suffering something similar with Rose, Roxanne, Molly and Lucy. "What did the Sorting Hat say?" Louis asked eagerly.

"Another Weasley" Hugo recited. "How many of you are there?' Then it paused for a few seconds. I can't remember anything until it shouted 'Gryffindor'." Hugo said. "I had my eyes closed and I didn't really pay any attention to anything around me. I was zoned out"

They continued to pester Hugo until the subject of Quidditch came about. "Come to think of it," Louis said, "we are in the presence of half the Quidditch captains at Hogwarts"

"We should be honoured" James joked. When Louis and James were together they could never take anything serious. In unison, James and Louis rolled off the bed and onto their knees. "All hail" they chimed together, face down, arms stretched straight out onto the floor. Albus and Fred both smiled at their family members. James and Albus raised themselves off the ground and back onto the bed.

"Gotta love Quidditch" Albus said. "Especially when you're winning" he added with a smirk. James, Louis and Fred all sighed at Albus. They knew it would be coming sometime over the Christmas, decided they might as well get it out of the way early.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll get you in the final" Fred said.

"If you get there" Albus said.

"We'll be there, don't worry" James said to him. Albus smiled at his brother's certainty but they were soon sent to bed by their grandfather. Arthur Weasley had aged and his hair was grey and thinning. He was slower to move but not by much and his belly protruded slightly at the front.

"Time for bed" he said to the boys. "It's about half eleven" Arthur told them. The boys knew that their grandfather wasn't the strictest but they dared not cross him, they knew what he was like when they didn't do as they were told. Louis, Fred and Hugo began to move themselves and filed out of the room past their grandfather while Albus and James began to move about the room and readied themselves for bed. "Goodnight boys" he said to the young Potters and left the bedroom. Both boys were in their pyjamas and climbed into their respective beds. The small room which once belonged to Ron never offered much space for the boys but they enjoyed knowing that there was always a room awaiting them at their grandparent's house.

* * *

Christmas morning came but Albus and James were awoken rather much later than usual by Lily. Around nine, Lily burst into the room and woke the boys with an excited cry. It was usually around seven or not long thereafter that Lily woke them up. 'Maybe the girls were in bed much later than we were' Albus thought to himself when he saw the time. Lily was excited as ever and Albus and James were soon wide eyed. The piles of presents at the end of the beds of Albus and James reached a similar height, not very high but enough, Albus felt anyway.

Albus didn't really know what anyone had got him; what could he get that he didn't already have? Albus pushed off the duvet and crawled to the bottom of the bed. James did likewise. The first present he opened was from his parents. He knew that nothing could top his presents of the previous two years; his father's invisibility cloak and a new broom two years ago and tickets for the Quidditch World Cup final last year.

Albus was very wrong. He opened the very square shaped parcel from his parents. Ripping off the wrapping paper and he wasted no time taking the lid off the box. Not knowing exactly what he was peering down at in the box, he wondered what it was. A small object lay in the box. Albus reached into the box and pulled out the object. Rolling the rounded object over in his hand, he wondered what it did. It whistled slightly, Albus was sure, but both Lily and James continued to explore through James' presents. He continued to inspect it but still had no idea what it was. He looked back into the box and saw there was a note. _This is very similar to a Sneakoscope. It will whistle about once an hour when you are safe. If there is danger, it will whistle more than that. Your mother and I felt you needed something of the sort. I should also add that only YOU can hear it make a sound so carry it with you at all times. _Albus put the note back inside the box along with the small cylindrical shaped object and dove back into the stack of presents. He knew that his father must know something that he didn't but that was something he would talk to his father about before he went back to school. He found another present from his parents but this time he noticed that it was his mother's handwriting on the small sticker as opposed to his father's whose was on the other present.

This present was much larger and Albus wondered what he would be getting. Ripping off the wrapping paper, Albus found yet another box. He tore the lid off it and he smiled. Sitting in the box was a new and beautifully shaped broom. The _Nimbus 2500_, the return of the Nimbus series, lay on Albus' bed. During a collision with James in the garden of Grimmauld Place, both boys had broken their treasured Firebolts four series. James was equally happy on the other bed as he had received the newest broom in the revamped Firebolt series, _Firebolt 6. _

James had pulled it out of the box and turned to his brother. Albus had done to the exact same. "Look" they said in unison. Albus' gleaming dark wood handle and dark twigs which were tinted green and silver; Slytherin colours of course. James' Firebolt was a light coloured wood with much lighter twigs at the end. The bottom of the brown twigs turned to a scarlet and gold hue. Their brooms were very different but yet, they were going to do the same job.

The boys opened the rest of their presents but they couldn't and wouldn't take their eyes off their new brooms. Of course, neither Potter had a broom so they had needed one or else they'd be stuck flying the old school brooms and that wouldn't help them at all.

Lily had come and gone and come back once more to tell them that it was breakfast time and that both their mother and grandmother had said they need to come immediately. Albus and James quickly changed out of their pyjamas and into their casual clothes; jeans or a tracksuit and a t shirt.

Pretty much the rest of the Weasley family were in the kitchen when Albus and James trailed behind their sister and took a seat at the magically enlargened table so as to facilitate the huge family. Albus had a breakfast of eggs, bacon and sausage as well as toast and a cup of tea. Everyone seemed to be engaged in conversation around Albus as he ate. A glance out the window and Albus saw that the snow was coming down extremely heavy. It was piled up on the window sill and it continued to pile up higher and higher. Not long later, only Albus, James and their mother were left at the table. "Where's dad?" Albus asked.

"He's gone into work. He should be home soon" Ginny replied looking at the clock. "Did you both like your presents?" she asked with a smile. Albus grinned and James was overjoyed.

"Oh yeah" they both replied happily. "Don't think we'll get to fly them in that weather though" Albus said.

"You're right. You won't be out flying" Ginny warned them. Albus and James left the table, hugging their mother as they exited the kitchen and passed through the living room where all the younger Weasleys were gathered. Albus and James passed through, James telling them they'd be back in a minute. Albus, however, stayed with his cousins and took the empty seat between Hugo and Rose.

"Hey Al" Hugo said. "Get anything nice?" he asked his older cousin.

"Broom" Albus replied casually.

"Really?" Hugo responded, sitting forward and leaning towards Albus. "What is it?" Hugo asked eagerly.

"Nimbus 2500" Albus responded not really paying much attention to Hugo. Albus didn't really like when all the focus was on him.

"Are you serious? Can I see it?" Hugo asked.

"Sure" Albus replied, getting out of the seat. "I'll bring it down" Albus made his way to towards his bedroom and James passed him with his new acquisition in hand. Albus heard the 'ohh's 'and 'ahh's' from his cousins and his brother was no doubt showing of the sleekly polished and perfectly trimmed twigs of his new Firebolt.

Albus grabbed the Nimbus off his bed and returned back down stairs. Soon the broom was being passed around by his younger cousins as well as his uncles George and Ron. The two brooms were compared by anyone who had an interest in brooms and it took about an hour until Albus' new broom was back in his hands.

By this time, Harry had arrived back to the Burrow and was happily greeted by his three children as well as his nieces and nephews. Also arriving around the same time as Harry were Teddy and Victoire as well as Dominique. "If someone had told me that my daughter would be dating Remus Lupin's son when Ted was born, I would have laughed" Bill said. The room chuckled as they waited for dinner.

Christmas dinner came and went and the food seemed to get better year on year. Teddy, as usual, was entertaining the younger half of the family with his Metamorphmagus abilities. Changing from a duck's bill to a lion like mane, Teddy never failed to disappoint. About an hour after dinner, the snow had stopped falling and Teddy stood up in the living room where the entire family was gathered. "Right," he said clapping his hands together, "Quidditch time".

"Theodore Remus Lupin" Molly Weasley said loudly. "I might not have any control over but you will not take any of this family outside to play Quidditch. If you want to go and play in freezing weather, feel free but you'll be alone and don't ask me for help when you're blue" she reprimanded. Teddy was quick to sit back down, knowing not to argue with Molly.

* * *

The days passed and the snow finally cleared off the ground but by that time everyone else had gone visiting other families or to get themselves ready for school or work or whatever it may be. Harry was working as hard, maybe even more than he was before Christmas as was Ron which left only Hermione and Ginny as well as Albus, James, Lily, Rose and Hugo in the Burrow. Hermione, Lily and Hugo had gone to visit Hermione's parents but had returned as they would Floo to Grimmauld Place before making their way across the British capital to King's Cross Station.

This Christmas was the first Christmas in 'many a year' that the traditional Quidditch match didn't take place on Christmas Day. Albus and James were both yet to fly their new brooms and decided to wait until they returned to Hogwarts to have a test run; neither wanting the other to know just how good the broom was.

"I hear Ashley might not be coming back" Rose said to Albus the evening before they were due to return to Hogwarts.

"Yeah" Albus replied, not sure what to say.

"I'll miss her if she goes." Rose said. "She was there for me last year when I needed it and she was there for me this year when I had that falling out with Alison. We still meet up sometimes but not enough really." Rose said.

"Yeah, she's really nice. A great friend as well" Albus said. He liked Ashley but as a friend, nothing more but Rose was quick to question about this.

"Do you like her?" Rose asked.

"As a friend, yes" Albus responded. "Nothing more"

"Oh yeah" Rose said, "I forgot you only have eyes for Emily"

"That's not true" Albus said but he felt his face was hot and he was sure now that his face was red. That didn't help matters at all. Rose began teasing him but Albus stopped listening to Rose and started thinking. 'Maybe she's right' Albus said to himself. He had to admit to himself that Emily was very pretty and there was times that he found himself tongue tied when he was around her because he was admiring her eyes or her face or her hair. 'Oh my god' Albus thought to himself, 'I do like her. I wonder what she thinks?' was his next thought. Shaking his head as if this would remove everything he didn't want there, Albus came back to reality. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about what girls he liked. Albus resumed his conversation with Rose.


	11. The Numbers Game

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series. This story is based upon the characters and worlds belonging to and created by J.K. Rowling**

**A/N: I've decided that I'm going to write a small bit about all the main characters in the story including Albus' Slytherin year as well the Quidditch team, his Muggle Studies football team and some of the personnel who play a part in Albus' school life. Professors as well as the adults, mainly original characters from the HP series by JK Rowling. Parker and company will be included too. I won't reveal too much about the character just the basic details. Expect to see them on my profile in the near future.**

**11: The Numbers Game **

Albus packed his trunk onto the trolley along with his owl cage. He followed James and Lily through the station towards platforms nine and ten. Hermione, Hugo and Rose were already waiting for them. Ginny quickly brought up the rear, jogging slightly to catch up with her children. Albus was last through the barrier alongside his mother who wasn't happy with the fact that James had already gone to find his friends. "Leave him" she said. "He's old enough now, he best just remember that next time he wants me to do something for him. Go on, the pair of you" Ginny told them, hugging her daughter and son one after the other before both children went their separate ways and boarded the train. One glance back told Albus that both Rose and Hugo were on still on the platform. Albus was early, he wondered if Luke and or Scorpius were already on the train. He walked the narrow hallway and peered into each compartment. This seemed like a rather repetitive action for Albus as he done every time he's got on the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross.

Not only was he looking for Luke and Scorpius but Emily and Ashley as well. Luke was seated in a compartment about halfway down the train. Albus entered, sliding his trunk that he had been dragging along behind him under the seat and putting the empty owl's cage onto one of the overhead racks. Albus had released Wiggy, his owl, and let her fly to Hogwarts. "Hey Al" Luke said as he sat down. "How was your Christmas?"

"Good" Albus replied. "Yours?"

"Decent, I suppose" Luke replied. "It was really cold but it didn't rain or anything so I spent a lot of time playing around in the garden with my cousins.

"It snowed for us" Albus said. "We didn't get to play Quidditch at all… well…" he contemplated. "I played with James just after we got home. I broke my broom and his too" Albus told Luke. "Got a new one though"

"So… you broke your Firebolt whatever version it is and James' broom of the exact same make just before Christmas and then you got a new one. What did you get?" he asked. The door slid open and their conversation was ended but only for a moment as the blonde head of Scorpius entered. He stowed his trunk under the seat.

"What's this I hear about new brooms?" Scorpius asked, taking a seat beside Luke.

"Albus broke his and James' broom when they were playing Quidditch during the holidays and he got a new one for Christmas." Luke surmised.

"What did ya get? Firebolt whatever the last one was you had?" he asked.

"Nimbus 2500" Albus said.

"No way!" Scorpius exclaimed. "What's it like to fly?" he asked.

"Haven't flown it yet" Albus admitted.

"What?" Scorpius said, face wide in shock.

"I-have-not-flown-it-yet" Albus said slowly with a smile on his face. Scorpius looked utterly baffled.

Nobody said anything for a while. Scorpius seemed to be wondering why Albus was holding a wonderful new broom in reserve. "You didn't want James to see how fast it is" Scorpius said abruptly. "That's why you didn't fly it"

"James got the newest Firebolt" Albus said. "He broke his broom too. Neither of us has flown them. Mostly because of the snow"

"Yeah, there was a lot of the snow wasn't there?" Scorpius said.

"None for me" Luke said.

"None for me either" Emily said, sliding open the compartment door and taking a seat beside Albus.

"Where do you live?" Scorpius asked.

"Newcastle" she replied. "We didn't get any snow. I'll take it as none of you have seen Ashley" she added at the end.

"No and obviously you haven't" Albus replied. The door opened again.

"Who's this we're talking about?" Ashley asked from her standing position at the door. The train jerked slightly meaning that Ashley stumbled but managed to maintain her stance in the compartment.

"You" Luke replied. "I told you all that the numbers game would win out"

"Is he actually right?" Emily asked. "Did you guys like take a vote on it?"

"Well, yes and no" Ashley said, sitting down on the end of the seat beside Scorpius. "My grandmother, my mother's mother," she said for clarification "died the day after Christmas. We went back to Australia. My brother brought me here. My dad had to come back for work. My mum is coming back in the next few days" she said sadly.

"Sorry" they all muttered at some stage of the next few moments. "At least you're back" Luke said happily.

"I'm delighted to see you too Luke" Ashley responded with a smile.

The journey continued and as much as Ashley didn't like all the attention being on her, it was. Rose even called in to happily see Ashley had returned. "I'll go again" Rose said, "gotta get back and get changed"

Time passed and silence had fallen over the compartment. Albus was staring at the countryside which was passing by. A light misty rain had begun to fall which made Albus' view slightly hazy. Darkness soon fell and they knew they must be nearing Hogsmeade. Ashley and Emily left and Scorpius pulled down the blind on the door as the boys changed into their school robes.

The train slowly jerked to a stop at the station. The students began to evacuate the train, leaving their belongings behind as they had become accustomed to doing. The journey up to the school was done so between heavy showers of rain. They got lucky as the rain stopped just after the got off the train and had arrived at the school when another downpour arrived.

* * *

"Defence Against the Dark Arts isn't all about being able to cast the best and the strongest spells" Professor Fulton said. It was one of their practical classes and she seemed to be in a good mood. She hadn't given Albus detention or reprimanded him yet so he took it as a good sign considering he and Scorpius were having a rather private conversation.

"It's just that I don't think he'll risk coming after you" Scorpius said. With Mulciber and Parker being in the paper that morning, it was a hot topic of conversation.

"I dunno. He really wants to get me." Albus said. "He would risk his life to get me out of the equation" Albus whispered to his friend.

"Would they risk it though? Just to get a kid?" Scorpius asked sensibly. "Surely the numbers game would catch up to them. How many followers do they have? Less than the Aurors, surely"

"I don't know" Albus replied. "I'll remember to ask my dad. See what the Aurors know about his followers" Albus said.

"Potter, Malfoy, zip it down there. Detention if I have to ask again" Professor Fulton said. Albus was surprised it had taken her so long to reprimand himself and Scorpius. The boys knew not to disobey her order or the number of detentions they received would be quite high. "Since the pair of ye didn't want to listen, you can demonstrate what I've been talking about." she smiled to herself as Albus and Scorpius looked at each other and made their way to the front of the room.

"Movement, change the angle of attack" was written on the blackboard but Professor Fulton didn't notice either boy looking at it. They both withdrew their wands and faced each other. Albus defended the first spell easily and moved left a few steps, firing successive jinxes at his friend and opponent before sidestepping to the other side and firing more jinxes. Scorpius was unable to cope with the volume of the attack and the various angles at which they were fired from. One of the many bolts of light got by Scorpius' defence and struck him square in the chest. His arms snapped down by his side and his legs were together. He was rigid as a board and fell backwards onto the ground.

"Excellent Potter" Professor Fulton said. "Shows you that getting onto the offensive is a good play if you do it correctly. Pair up and away you go" she told them. "I'll be around to check." Albus went to pair up with Scorpius once more but he and Luke were getting themselves ready to begin duelling. He looked around and saw Ashley paired with Rose. He turned to the other side and saw Emily whom he quickly called over so he could pair up with her. She was more than happy to do so.

* * *

As January passed, Scorpius and Albus reignited their conversation on whether or not Albus was still on the radar of Michael Parker after Quidditch practice. "Like I said before" Scorpius started, "you're not in any danger"

"You don't know that for sure." Albus insisted. He wasn't sure why he wanted to be on Parker's radar, maybe it was because he wanted to live up to his father's reputation. "You haven't seen the way he gets when he knows I should be at his mercy"

"Look Al, if you were in danger, I think I know your dad well enough to say that he would tell you to make sure to not do anything stupid." Scorpius said as they put the ball crate back in the small shed just off the Quidditch pitch where all the supplies were kept. "There's nothing to be afraid of"

The next morning, however, proved that Scorpius might just be wrong.

_**MULCIBER AND PARKER EVADE AURORS IN STAND**** OFF** _read the headline of that morning's _Prophet._ Inside, the article detailed how three Aurors were overwhelmed when Parker's back up arrived not long after he himself appeared to aid his friend. The numbers game was too much for the Aurors and were forced to retreat for their own safety. Albus didn't read anymore than the first few lines. He was getting worried at the number of attacks that were being reported in the newspaper and the fact that the Aurors had yet to capture the same men they seemed to be so close to capturing for so long. It had been the end of Albus' first year when Parker had become a wanted man and he was still on the loose just under two years later.

The start of February meant the second round of Quidditch fixtures. Slytherin would play Ravenclaw on the first weekend of February and Gryfffindor would face Hufflepuff the following Saturday. Albus was really impressed with his new broom and couldn't wait to get it into competitive action. February also meant that they would have another Hogsmeade visit which would take place on Valentine's Day even thought it was a Friday. They would have the day off classes.

The first of February was a Saturday and a chance to all but seal their place in the Quidditch Cup final meant that Albus had to say very little to them to get them up for the games. The fired up Slytherins demolished Ravenclaw scoring twenty seven goals on a wet day and a day that the Snitch stayed away and made the defeat more and more embarrassing for the Ravenclaws. When the Snitch did show up, Albus pounced on it almost instantly, finally ending the game. Slytherin really helped their score difference if it was needed, scoring four hundred and twenty points to the twenty points the Ravenclaws scored. Albus was delighted. Slytherin were almost, and Albus stressed that it wasn't official, in the final for the second year in a row. They were, in Albus' word, on course to retain their crown.

The following Monday after class, something happened that Albus didn't realise he wanted until it happened. "Al" Emily called after him as he returned alone to the common room after dinner.

"Yeah" he responded turning around to face her.

"I was just... I was wondering" she stuttered. "If well, I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me?" she asked, looking down at her feet.

Albus didn't know what to say. He felt his face was hot and was sure that it was some shade of red."Like... like a date?" he asked.

"I suppose like a date" Emily replied.

"Sure" Albus told her, not really sure what else he could say. Emily smiled at him and walked past him towards the common room. Albus smirked to himself and followed his friend into the common room.

* * *

**Thought of the Day (Just a rant I wanted to go on!): I see people who write stories because they think they have brilliant writing skills which will ultimately earn them tonnes of reviews while others feel their stories are so impeccably structured that they will get loads of reviews. Ultimately, there's so many people that write stories just to get views and reviews. I, however, don't care if you read my stories or don't, if you review them or not because I write because I enjoy it. There's two people that I want to make happy when I write; one of them is me and the other is a certain blonde haired Australian from Sydney. You know who you are!**


	12. Lily's Story

**Disclaimer: This story is based upon the worlds created by and belonging to JK Rowling**

**A/N: As I mentioned on a previous note, this is the chapter which tells Lily's story from the summer before she starts at Hogwarts to the present February day where chapter 11 left off.**

**12: Lily's Story**

Lily woke up in her bedroom; there was a knocking sound coming from outside her window. She pulled back the curtains and immediately woke from he sleepy state. Her eyes were now wide open and she hastily opened the window allowing the brown tawny owl to enter her bedroom. Depositing the letter on the bed, the owl swooped back out of the bedroom as Lily closed the window behind it. Lily stared at the envelope on the bed. The emerald green ink reading _'Lily Potter, Bedroom Five, 12 Grimmauld Place, London, England' _confirmed what Lily was thinking. She had finally received her Hogwarts letter. Ever since James had received his and she had gone to the platform with the rest of the family, she had wanted to go to Hogwarts. During James' first year, she hadn't minded too much because Albus was still there with her. During that year, they developed a bond that Lily didn't share with James.

The following year, however, Albus was eleven and he went to Hogwarts leaving Lily all alone in the huge house that was Grimmauld Place. Lily had become jealous of her brothers and her desire to go to Hogwarts grew even more. She wanted to go and knew that she wouldn't be. The time had come for Lily and it was her turn to be brought to Diagon Alley to get all her supplies for the first time. This only happened once and she remembered seeing how much her brothers had enjoyed being fitted for their robes for their first time, admiring all the books that they flipped through as soon as they owned them. She noticed how happy they were when they first received their new wands and when it dawned on them that soon, they would be getting onto the Hogwarts Express and heading to the school they had long since fantasized about attending. Lily knew that soon, all those feelings were hers.

Lily opened the letter and smiled as she read the letter which invited her to attend Hogwarts. Lily rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen where her mother awaited. She saw the letter in her daughter's hand and smiled. "Diagon Alley today then?" Ginny asked her daughter. Lily couldn't speak but simply nodded her head. Ginny smiled once more and gave Lily her breakfast; sausages, bacon, eggs and toast. Albus and James were late up, much to Lily's dismay but their mother was quick to hurry them up. By half eleven, they were ready to leave. Using the Floo Network, they arrived in the Leaky Cauldron which they passed through without hassle and made their way onto the cobbled streets of Diagon Alley. Lily, despite being here many times before, looked like she was in paradise. Lily didn't know where she wanted to go first and Ginny decided they would go to get their school books first. Ginny handed the booklists into the shopkeeper who, with a few waves of his wand, had all the necessary books in front of him. Ginny parted with her Galleons, Sickles and Knuts in exchange for the books. Imparting a feather-light charm on the bags of books, Ginny took the considerably lighter bags and followed Lily out of the shop, soon followed by both Albus and James. Lily trotted with a smile on her face to Madam Malkin's robe shop. Lily enjoyed her time standing on a small stool, despite being prodded by needled as she was fitted for her school robes by Madam Malkin junior. Lily then had to wait while her brother's got fitted for their new robes. Albus' robes bore the Slytherin crest while James' bore the Gryffindor emblem. For the first time. Lily began to consider what house she would be sorted into. Not lingering on this too long, Lily was bouncing once again, her fiery red hair bouncing as she did so. They moved on to get supplies for Lily while James and Albus picked up somethings they needed and continued to swiftly move around Diagon Alley.

"Mum" Lily moaned. James and Albus were both tired and knew that their sister was going to start her moaning. Both boys weren't fond of Lily's immature attitude and Lily was becoming increasingly aware and vowed to herself there and then to change that by time they has begun their school year at Hogwarts. "Why are we going to fast?" she asked.

"Because Lil" Ginny replied, "I have to be home soon because I'm working at two. I have to get to the Holyhead to report on the Harpies game, first of the season."

"Will dad be home?" she asked.

"Unfortunately not" Ginny replied. "You're going over to the Burrow"

* * *

Lily was counting down the days until September first. She packed, unpacked and packed again several times before she packed for the final time on the final day of August. Lily couldn't sleep that night with excitement. For the past three years, she had watched her brother's go to Hogwarts as she watched from the background but now it was finally her turn. Around half past twelve, the tiredness finally got to the red haired youngster but was awoken early the following morning and was soon almost literally bouncing off the walls with excitement. Ginny almost had to force feed Lily her breakfast but she finally managed to eat something before lugging her trunk behind her and cat cage, a gently meowing coming from its cage, and stood awaiting at the front door. Albus and James, in Lily's opinion, took far too long to get themselves readied. Albus was the first ready, followed by James. Harry and Ginny loaded the car. Lily smiled with glee and took a seat in the back of the Ministry issued car. Albus and James followed not long later and the Potters were on their way to King's Cross.

Despite having made this journey several times before, it now had a different feel to it for Lily. She was excited and could hardly sit still as she stared at the passing scenery; not much but high rise buildings and traffic. They pulled into King's Cross at quarter to eleven. Harry quickly retrieved three trolleys and placed his children's belongings on them. Lily took her trolley and pushed it through the station. Ginny looked down at her watch.

"We have ten minutes, it's okay" Ginny said as the five Potters walked through King's Cross Station, three trolleys in front of them.

"Daddy" Lily said. "Will you please tell us if you're teaching this year" Lily was dying to know if her father would be her Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and didn't want to be kept waiting until they arrived at Hogwarts and she had been sorted. She desperately wanted to know now.

"No, I've already told you that I've made a decision but it's going to be a surprise. You'll find out later on" Harry said to his daughter. He smiled at her.

"I can't wait that long" Lily moaned.

"Look on the bright side" Albus said. Lily looked at her youngest brother "You get to start Hogwarts this year" James nodded as his brother spoke. Lily just turned and faced away from them.

"I suppose" Lily said the smile returning to her face, this however wasn't visible to either of her brothers. As they approached the barrier between the magical and Muggle worlds, Ginny told Albus and James to go on through and they were followed by Harry.

"Ready?" Ginny asked Lily who nodded. "Let's go" Ginny said as the pair walked briskly which soon turned to a light jog at the wall. They emerged onto Platform 9 ¾ and, although Lily had been there before, she saw it in a completely different light now that she would be starting Hogwarts. Lily gazed happily around the platform as Harry made sure that all the trunks and owls were placed securely onto the train. Albus did likewise but lingered a little longer as their mother spoke.

"Yeah, but I don't have any of you in the house now" Ginny said and she began to weep slightly. "You're not babies anymore, you're all grown up." Ginny said wiping her eyes. "Go on James, find your friends" James was pretty much on his way when his mother told him to go. Lily was hardly aware of the fact that James had hugged their mother, said goodbye to their father and had taken off to find his own friends. Ginny had pulled Albus into a hug. "I'll see you at Christmas. Now go on, you only have," she paused and looked at the clock, "three minutes. You have three minutes" Albus trotted away after saying goodbye to his father and hopped onto the train. He stopped, turned back around and remembered his first day. He went back and waited for Lily to finish saying goodbye to and made her way onto the train. She followed Albus and the pair pulled their belongings down the train. Albus met Scorpius in the hallway and they were soon sitting in a compartment with Luke and his brother Paddy who would also be starting Hogwarts.

Albus, Luke and Scorpius dismissed Lily and Paddy and they were soon talking like they had known each other for months or years as opposed to only having met a few minutes ago. Lily found Paddy interesting. She liked his accent, it was different and his wit made for a few laughs. The pair eventually found a carriage that housed two youngish looking people. A quick glance told Paddy and Lily that they were both first years; their robes were plain black and there was no crest. There was a boy and girl sitting in the compartment. The boy had shaggy black hair and very pale skin while the girl had red hair, not too dissimilar than Lily's and her freckled face housed a wide, welcoming smile. Paddy slid the door open. "Mind if we sit in here?" Paddy asked. "Everywhere else is full"

"Not at all" the boy said, pushing down from the middle of the seat towards the window. Luke sat beside the boy, Lily sat opposite him. "I'm Alec" the boy said, "Alec McMenamin". He shook hands with both Paddy and Lily. Both Lily and Paddy introduced themselves to Alec while the girl continued to stare out the window. "Potter, you say" Alec said as Lily introduced herself.

"Yes" Lily replied. "Lily Potter". The other girl turned towards her companions in the compartment.

"I'm Harriett Grennan" the girl said. "It's okay, I got your names. Paddy and Lily, right?" They both nodded.

"So anyway" Alec said. "Potter, like Harry Potter?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Yes" Lily said, slightly exasperated. Now she knew that Albus and James weren't lying when they said that when people first heard the name 'Potter' they would immediately ask about their father.

"Wow!" he whispered. "He was awesome" Alec said. "I'm Mugge-born and when I was getting my school stuff, I got a book about recent wizard history and nearly all of it was about Harry Potter. Are you related to him?"

Lily saw Paddy smiling out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah, he's my dad" she replied. "And the books really do exaggerate it"

"Did ya ever think," Luke said, "that he's just being extremely modest"

"The man has a point" Harriet said. It was the first time she had spoke since they had introduced themselves. They soon glazed over the fact that Lily's father was famous for saving the Wizarding World from the most powerful dark wizard of all time. Lily could feel their friendship grow as the train journey continued and Lily knew that she was making friends that would last for all her school years and possibly beyond. As the train sped past the fields, the sun set and darkness set in as they approached Hogsmeade Station. The four changed into their school robes and readied themselves as the train slowly stopped in Hogsmeade.

Lily and Harriet talked as the Potter heard the familiar booming voice of Hagrid. "Firs' years" he called. "This way now, firs' years" All the confused looking children made their way towards the huge gamekeeper. "This everyone then?" he asked, peering back over the crowd and saw that there was no one visibly trying to get over to them. He allowed everyone else to clear with the occasional shout of "firs' years over here. Come on firs' years". Hagrid waited for the older years to clear before beckoning the new students to follow him. They followed the path and Lily was once again whispering to Paddy about what it would be like.

They came over the hill and got their first look at the castle. Lily's jaw dropped so much it nearly it the ground. The castle towered on the cliff's edge as its lights shone brightly off the surface of the black lake which rippled ever so slightly. This, in Lily's opinion, only added the impressiveness of the structure. The first years were brought forward to the water's edge by the half giant gamekeeper. Hagrid instructed them to get into the boats and none of the students dared disobey the huge man they didn't know. Lily was in a boat with the same three people that she had shared a compartment with on the train.

They waited. Hagrid looked around and saw that there were no more than four to a boat. He produced his pick umbrella, pointed it towards the castle and shouted 'forward'. The boats began to glide along the icy surface of the water. The water broke in front of them as the bow of boat cut through the water. "Bend yer heads down now" Hagrid called and everyone obeyed. They passed under the overhanging curtain of ivy and into the small passageway. They got out of the boats and walked up the steps. Professor Longbottom was waiting at the open door and beckoned the first years inside.

"Welcome" he said to all the first years who looked up at him, "to Hogwarts. I'm Professor Longbottom, Head of Gryffindor and Herbology professor. In a few moments you will pass through these doors and into the Great Hall where the rest of the student body are waiting. You will be sorted into one of four houses. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. While here your house will be like your family. Triumphs will earn you points and any rule breaking will lose your points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will receive the House Cup. The House Cup is a prestigious honour for the house. I will return when they are ready for you." he told them.

Lily stood waiting and heard some students muttering, wondering about how they would be sorted. Lily heard students, probably muggle-borns who knew very little about magic, saying that they hoped it wasn't a test of their magical abilities. Professor Longbottom returned. "It's time. They're ready for you" he beckoned for the students to follow him. In two's and three's they walked in a long line through the centre of the Great Hall. All the older students eyed them as they walked. There were murmurs coming from all directions as they reached the top of the hall and lined out in front of the dais. There was a small, old rickety looking stool on the dais and a ragged patched hat perched atop the stool. The hall fell silent. The first years looked on, not sure what was about to happen. A rip just above the brim of the hat opened and the old hat burst into song.

_"I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And sort you all I shall  
There are four houses which  
You may go to._

_The founders brains  
Are placed in me  
I will make the choice._

_You might end up in Gryffindor  
Godric valued bravery, courage  
As well as daring, nerve and chivalry_

_Or you might go to Ravenclaw  
For Rowena valued wit and learning  
And those with a ready mind_

_You might be in Hufflepuff  
Helga wanted anyone who was loyal and just  
Hufflepuffs are patient and true_

_Or it may be Slytherin  
Salazar wanted cunning folk  
To use any means to achieve their goals_

_Whatever house you go to,  
You will find real friends,  
Place me on your noggin  
To find where you belong"_

The Sorting Hat went limp on the stool once more and the Great Hall burst into applause. Professor Longbottom unfurled a roll of parchment. "Adonis, Adam" was the first name called and it didn't take long for him to be sent to Gryffindor. "Barker, Harry" and "Boole, Paul" both went to Gryffindor while "Bundy, John" was the first Ravenclaw. Most of the students went to Ravenclaw, Gryffidnor and Hufflepuff. The first person that Lily knew was Harriet Grennan. She was eventually sent to Ravenclaw. Rose wondered whether their relatively recently made friendship would survive if they were in different houses. It all depended on what her mentally towards the other houses were. Alec McMenamin was soon called. The Hat pondered its options for a while before sending the boy to Hufflepuff.

Lily watched everyone be sorted and felt Paddy brushing past her as his name was called. The silence in the Great Hall was soon replaced with clapping and cheering from the table of Paddy's new house; Slytherin. There was two people between Lily and Paddy; 'O' Meara, Rory and Patil, Ryan' both of whom went to Ravenclaw. Professor Longbottom looked back down at the list.

"Potter, Lily" he called. There clapping from the Ravenclaws turned to a hushed whisper as everyone talked about where the youngest Potter would end up. Lily walked slowly, her legs shaking, knees trembling, to the stool. She dropped onto the stool and the professor placed the hat on her head. It slid down over her eyes, stopping on the bridge of her nose.

"Ahh, another Potter" the Hat said to Lily. "I sense the same as your father and brother. It is unquestionably between two houses-"

"Gryffindor and Slytherin" Lily thought.

"Correct" the hat said. "Slytherin would suit you the best, I think but if you're like your father then you might have a say in something."

"Put me where I'll do best" Lily thought.

"Just like your brother then" the hat said to her again. "In that case... SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted. Lily removed the hat from her head, handed it to Professor Longbottom and bounded towards the Slytherin table. She easily located her shocked brother at the table and squeezed in beside him. The Great Hall was silent as the Sorting Ceremony continued. It wasn't as big a shock as when Albus went to Slytherin but there was still an air of unexpectedness hanging around the Great Hall after Lily's sorting.

"Why are you in Slytherin?" Albus whispered. "I was full sure you would be in Gryffindor."

"It was between Slytherin and Gryffindor" Lily replied in a whisper. "I let the Hat choose. The choice isn't up to me to pick my house otherwise there would be no point in having the Hat. I was sorta nervous up there and I had no idea what was going to happen. But I think it put me in Slytherin because I'm sorta more like you than James. And James annoys me sometimes, you're always nice to me" Lily said. Albus, and Lily, were different. They shared traits with both of their parents but the cunning and ambition they possessed was enough to put them both in Slytherin.

Hugo was sent to Gryffindor and Lily sighed. The Sorting Ceremony ended and the stool and sorting hat was returned to the Headmistress' office. The feast started and finished. Professor McGonagall informed them that 'Professor Potter has kindly agreed to fill the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor until Halloween when the new professor will take his post.' They were dismissed and Lily and the other first years were shown the way to the common room by the prefect and seventh year Regina Turley.

She was quick to show them their dormitory and Lily took the bed at which her trunk sat at the bottom. Lily, along with the other girls, quickly changed into their pajamas and climbed into the warm beds. Lily, however, couldn't sleep and she decided to write a letter to her mother now and she would send it in the morning.

_Dear mum,  
I had a great first night here. I met some really nice people on the train and it was was fun on the boats. I got sorted into Slytherin... I let the Hat choose and it put me in Slytherin. The common room and dormitory looks nice. I haven't got to know anybody much yet apart from the people I met on the train. Classes start tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it. I'll write you later when there's more exciting things happening but for now, that's all  
Lily _

* * *

The following morning came and their first classes. Lily was happy to learn that she would share two classes with Ravenclaw and two with Hufflepuff so she would at least see Harriet and Alec during those classes. She also got to know her fellow Slytherins. Jasmine Bletchley, Mary Zabini, Kathleen Johnson and Amy Greengrass were the other girls in first year in Slytherin. Lily and Amy became good friends on the first morning and sat beside each other in every class. Lily really enjoyed Potions and thought that Professor Kelly was extremely nice. She excelled under her father's tuition in Defence Against the Dark Arts and enjoyed all her classes in the first week, with History of Magic the obvious exception. Lily knew that nobody enjoyed that class and now she knew why.

The week and first month passed in a blur for Lily. She enjoyed being at Hogwarts and had to admit that it had been well worth the wait! As she got to know everyone, she still remained friends with the first people that she met on her way to Hogwarts. Despite the fact that Harriet and Alec were in different houses, they still spent a lot of time together.

Lily's time was uneventful and enjoyed being in Slytherin, especially when she was able to celebrate a Slytherin win in the Quidditch. She was saddened to see her father leave not long before Halloween but thought that while Professor Fulton wasn't the most pleasant woman, she was always rather fair no matter what the occasion. She wasn't fond of Professor' Williamson and Binns, mostly because she didn't like their classes.

Nothing of note happened to Lily up to Christmas, nothing like happened to James who always seemed to be in trouble yet not often receiving detention or Albus who had a very interesting first year. Lily returned with her brothers for Christmas and enjoyed spending time with her family. She had been used to seeing her aunts and uncles quite often while not at Hogwarts so it was nice to be seeing them once again. Having spent the majority of the holidays at the Burrow, Lily repacked her things and got ready to depart for Hogwarts once more. It was the train ride back to Hogwarts that brought the first major event of note for Lily. Sharing a compartment with Amy Greengrass, Paddy O' Brien and Alec McMenamin. None of them had seen Harriet Grennan and when there was a scream from the hallway, they all rushed outside. Harriet was lying unconscious in the narrow corridor, an older boy, probably a fifth or sixth year standing not far from her.

"You just never learn" he said to her. Before Lily knew what she was doing, she had withdrawn her wand and pointed it at the older boy. He laughed. "Think you can take me alone?" he said to her. Lily fired the first spell that came to mind; a full body bind. He dodged it easily. He fired two jets of light at Lily but she managed to move out of the way of them.

"Picking on first years, Westley?" James said from behind Lily.

"Get out of here Potter. You've got no business here" the boy named Westley said.

"I think you're wrong" James replied, walking forward and withdrawing his wand. "It became my business when you started duelling with my sister"

"Your sister?" he asked confusedly. James now stood in front of Lily, wand pointed at Westley.

"Yeah, my sister... and her friends." he responded. "Petrificus Totalus" he said, flicking his wand at Westley. He had no time to react as James done it so nonchalantly. His legs snapped together, his arms were stuck to his sides and he crumpled over, stiff as a board. James looked him over and ushered Lily and her friends back into the compartment. "You did really well Lil" James said. "You stopped him from attacking you" James told her, well able to hear the commotion outside. Two Prefects had just arrived and were discussing various theories as to what happened. Lily's compartment was right at the back of the train in a separate carriage to the rest of the compartments. James slid open the door and walked out into the corridor.

"Potter" Lily heard one of the Prefects say and decided to follow James out into the corridor. "Do you know what happened here?"

"I do, Mary" he replied. "Westley attacked the young one and I body bound him" he said casually.

"Well, that clears everything up" Mary said. Lily looked from the entrance to the compartment. "Why are you down here?" she asked him next.

, seemingly forgetting about what had just transpired. She looked over James' shoulder and saw Lily standing there. Mary eyed her up and down before returning her attention to James.

"I came down to see my sister" James responded.

"You know that no one is supposed to be sitting in a compartment down here, don't you?" she asked him.

"Nope, didn't know that" James told her.

"You said you came down to see your sister."

"I did"

"Is that her?" she nodded at Lily. James turned around.

"It is. Lils, come here" he said. She walked tentatively towards James. Paddy, Alec and Amy followed Lily out of the compartment.

"You're not supposed to be down here"she said to him. "Get your stuff and move up the train" Mary told the first years. "Get out of here James. I won't say anything about you, you've avoided detention for now." They gathered their things and hurried down the train finding a compartment that housed only two people; both of whom were first years.

* * *

January passed and Lily began to re-accustom herself to life at Hogwarts. Classes seemed to up themselves in difficulty since the Christmas exams in which Lily received five 'Outstandings' in Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, Herbology and Charms and two 'Acceptables' in History of Magic and Transfiguration. It was easy to tell which subjects Lily liked and which ones she wasn't particularly fond of. The incident on the train brought Lily and James much closer together just as they seemed to be growing further apart. January was a horrid month as the teachers began to pile on the homework. Lily wasn't used to such a workload but managed to keep up; it just meant less time for chatting in the common room in the evening but it also meant that she really only saw her friends from other houses at classes and during mealtimes.

After weeks of denying to explain why she had been attacked, Harriet finally gave in and decided to tell Lily, Alec and Paddy. They were in the library and had finished their homework. "It's because..." she swallowed. "It's because my brother and his brother used to be really good friends and they had a bit of a disagreement. I talked to Alistair Westley to try and get my brother and him to make up because my brother just didn't want to listen. But both the Westley's are in Slytherin and their parents are those sort of people who are all about blood purity and all that crap. Alistair isn't like that though, he judges people by what they're actually like and not their family. Dennis Westley is the opposite to his brother. All he cares about is family heritage. He thinks that his brother should just forget about my brother. He thinks then that I shouldn't have got involved and he confronted me on the train and 'taught me a lesson' as he put it."

"That's horrid" Alec said.

"Absolutely horrible" Lily concurred.

They continued to discuss what happened to Harriet when Paddy posed the question that seemed to be unanswered. "Are you a muggle-born? Or does he just not like your family?" he asked.

"My mother is muggle-born" Harriet explained.

"Makes sense now" Paddy replied.

* * *

February brought yet another Quidditch match and another one which Albus and his Slytherin team won. After the game, Lily was approached by Emily O' Malley, one of Albus' friends. "Hey Lily" she said. "Can I ask you a question about Al?"

"Yeah sure" Lily replied to her as they walked with the crowd back up the castle.

"Do you think he likes me?" Emily asked.

Lily smiled. "He definitely likes you"

"Are you sure? I want to ask him to go to Hogsmeade with me but I think he might say no and I don't want to ruin our friendship" she said, seemingly becoming more confused as she spoke.

"He definitely like you" Lily repeated.

"Thanks" she said, rushing off with the crowd. Lily smiled to herself as she scanned trying to find her friends. Her red hair was wrapped around her face as a gust of wind picked up and blew everyone several feet backwards. A dust cloud rose up and fell again. Lily saw that it masked the outline of someone running, their robes billowing but Lily didn't think much of it. She might be seeing things, dust had got in her eyes after all and she might just be dreaming. She quickly forgot about this and began moving with the crowd once more.

A few days after the Quidditch match, Albus returned to the common room looking slightly shocked. He saw Lily alone and sat beside her. "I think..." he whispered quietly. "I think Emily just asked me out" Albus whispered to his sister who smiled.

"Probably" Lily replied. "Now go to your dormitory and relax yourself." Albus nodded his head, got up and walked to the dormitory and flopped onto his bed. Lily was still sitting in the common room when Paddy and Amy joined her.


	13. Hogsmeade

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series.**

**A/N: Back to Albus' point of view now. I was always looking forward to writing that chapter and I hope you enjoyed it. Apologies once more about the delays in uploading a new chapter but I've been rather busy for the last three weeks or so but I'm now looking at a much lighter schedule.**

**13: Hogsmeade**

"Animals don't have brains like we do... they don't think things through and often, they will follow the lead of the other members of their pack." Professor Fulton said. She was explaining about various dark creatures. "For example, Kappas will do as they see others do. From a young age they see that the sneak up on humans and strangle them. It's ingrained in them. You could change it but it would be very difficult" she said. The bell rang and ended the class. Albus, Luke and Scorpius exited the classroom and they moved through the hallways and to the next classroom.

Monday passed and February the fourteenth soon arrived. It was unexpected when they woke up that morning; the weather the previous day had been excellent and the rain was now thudding now leaving puddles all over the grounds. Because it was Tuesday and they would be going to Hogsmeade later on, the students were given a half day of classes. They would have classes in the morning periods and would then go to Hogsmeade after lunch. Morning classes passed comfortably; the teachers understood that the students had little to no interest in their class and so assigned no homework. Something that Albus thought was probably a first for the teachers; they love giving out homework.

Scorpius and Luke continued to tease Albus during lunch to such an extent that Albus moved down the table beside Lily. He smiled back up at his friends but was soon sitting by himself when Lily greeted him with "I've heard you've got a date" Lily smiled and Albus moved further down the table. He finished his lunch quite swiftly and returned, alone, to the common room. He changed out of his robes and put on a pair of jeans and a t shirt. Not too sure about the weather, Albus also pulled a jumper from his trunk and carried it along with him. The rain had stopped when they had left the Great Hall but with the Slytherin common room located under the lake, he wasn't prepared to get soaked walking down to Hogsmeade.

He met Emily in the Entrance Hall as the joined the long queue of students waiting at the doors as the caretaker, Argus Filch, stood with a list of every student allowed to visit the village and was checking them off as they passed through the doors. His cat which looked more like a large rug that moved, skulked around his legs. He wheezed every so often, and seemed to be getting slower each time. Age was very obviously catching up with him. Eventually, Albus and Emily, with Luke, Scorpius and Ashley not far behind them, reached the front of the line. "Albus Potter" he said. Filch scanned the list, moving down to 'P' and let Albus go. He watched back as he took everyone's name and Emily joined him. They made their way down the entryway of the school and out of the large gates, the pillars topped with huge winged boars towered above them as the rain began to fall in droplets. Unknown to both Albus and Emily, they began to walk faster to try and avoid the rain. Scorpius, Luke and Ashley were joined by Rose and the quartet walked down to Hogsmeade and eventually caught up on Albus and Emily, apologising for interrupting anything but in truth, Albus and Emily had just talked about getting out of the rain as soon as they could. Albus had felt slightly awkward being with just Emily, he always seemed to get a bit tongue tied when he was around her alone and was more than happy to see his friends. Rose gave him a wry smile as they caught up with them. Albus knew exactly what her smirk meant, but he did his best to ignore her.

The six walked rather swiftly to Hogsmeade and arrived at the Three Broomsticks just as the rain began to come down heavily once more. The pub was crowded with Hogwarts students and the six considered themselves rather lucky as they found the only empty table, right at the back of the pub. They all removed their coins and handed over the required amount to Scorpius who went up to the bar and ordered six bottles of Butterbeer. He returned a few minutes later and one of the waitresses was following him, levitating a tray of six mugs in front of her. She set the mugs down on the table and then returned to her position behind the bar.

Rose and Scorpius soon were engaged in a conversation about whose grades were superior and, although Albus had received rather good grades from his Christmas exams but he knew better than to get involved with two people he knew rather well in Rose and Scorpius. Instead, Ashley, Emily, Luke and Albus began their own conversation regarding the headline from that morning's newspapers. There had allegedly been a breach in the Ministry of Magic security late the previous night but no one had got onto the premises, or so that's what the sensor charms in the Ministry showed because they were not set off in any part of the building except the entrance. The Ministry insisted that it was nothing serious but being the son of the Head Auror, Albus was suspicious my nature and knew better than what the Ministry was going to tell them.

The four discussed what it might possibly be. Albus suggested that someone might be planning a break in to the Ministry and if they knew what to do, they would see what security is there before they made their attempt. The others considered it but dismissed it after Ashley posed the question "why would someone set off the alarms though? Would the Ministry not up their security then?"

Luke and Emily had to agree with Ashley and this brought them to speculate more. As the glass mugs of Butterbeer emptied, the rain could still be heard pounding down on the roof of the Three Broomsticks. Scorpius and Rose had finished their discussion thanks to an intervention from Emily after it had become rather heated and they decided to leave the pub and explore the village. Rose, however, stayed behind after unexpectedly meeting Alison Noone. Rose had told them that Alison had intended to stay in the castle but she obviously had had a change of heart. Rose took a seat at her table and the five Slytherins emerged from the warmth and dryness of the pub onto the cold wet streets of Hogsmeade.

Weasley Wizard Wheezes was their first destination and they spent at least half an hour in the shop inspecting various different tools of mischief before leaving the shop without actually buying anything. Emily and Ashley were more than happy to choose their next destination but when they revealed they wanted to go to Gladrags Wizardwear; the three boys were more than reluctant and they decided they would go to Spintwitches, the sports supplies shop. The group agreed to meet in Honeydukes and so they divided and quickly made their way to the shops and out of the rain once more not that it mattered much now because they had been soaked while in the street.

The three boys walked in the pouring rain down the main street of Hogsmeade and into the Quidditch supplies shop. Upon walking through the door they were met with a jet of hot air which dried them off instantly. The boys sighed happily as they stepped inside. A young man, no more than twenty two, stood rearranging shelves while an older man, his father or possibly his grandfather, stood behind the counter. They both greeted the boys as they entered. The shop looked much bigger and brighter on the inside than it did on the outside. Albus turned and faced the window and watched as the dull overhead conditions and the pounding rain made it look more like it was nine or ten o'clock at the night and not four in the evening.

The younger man asked them if they were needed any help and if they were looking for anything in particular. Of course, they were really only having a look at things they already either had or had no use for. Scorpius looked ever the newest brooms, one of which Albus owned, the newest in the rejuvenated Nimbus series. Some twenty minutes after entering, they had readied themselves to leave. Bracing themselves to get soaked once more, they stepped from the bright and warm (and dry) Quidditch supplies shop, through the gust of warm air at the door and back into the cold and wet streets of Hogsmeade. "Looks like your date didn't really go to plan"

Albus sighed. "It wasn't really a date" he told his friends. "It was just a walk, really, to Hogsmeade together."

"But it could've been more but the Three Broomsticks was packed and you and Emily are just such thoughtful people that you invited us to sit with you" Scorpius said with a smirk.

The rain soaked the three boys once more as they made their way back through the village and into Honeydukes where, not surprisingly, Emily and Ashley were not. "Women go clothes shopping and you can't rely on them at all" Scorpius sighed.

"I know what you mean" Albus agreed.

"There they are" Luke said suddenly, peering between the two boys heads. Albus and Scorpius both turned and indeed, Ashley and Emily were making their way towards the shop. Moments later, the bell atop the door jingled and the two girls entered with a bag each. Whatever they had bought, Albus, Luke and Scorpius had no intention to find out. They browsed the shop's newest creations but ultimately it was the old products that left with them. Albus bought two huge slabs of chocolate- one plain milk chocolate and the other flavoured with honey. He didn't pay much attention to what anyone else bought but was ready to leave as soon as they had paid. Passing underneath the jet of air, they exited the shop and stood under the shelter that was extended over the front of Honeydukes. Scorpius glanced at his watch.

"I hope you don't mind but I'm going to meet my dad. He's in Hogsmeade for the day for work and is just finished" Scorpius said.

"No problem" Albus said. They others all agreed and Scorpius left.

"I'll meet you in the Three Broomsticks in about an hour and a half" he called as he left his friends behind, jogging up the main street.

"Where to next then?" Emily asked the other three. They began to walk up the main street, almost forgetting about the fact it was still raining and that they were getting soaked and looked at every shop left and right as they passed. As they neared Scrivenshafts, they veered towards it and entered the shop.

* * *

An hour and a half later they passed out of the Tomes & Scrolls bookshop and back onto the streets of Hogsmeade. They trudged through the puddles the rain had left and made their way towards the Three Broomsticks. About halfway along the cobbled street, Albus spotted the sleek blonde hair of Draco Malfoy making his way in their direction, smiling as strolled back towards the the far end of the village.

"Ah, Albus" he said. "And Luke, how are you both?" he asked but before Albus or Luke could respond he had spoken again. "And you two must be Emily and Ashley" They both nodded.

"We're fine Mr Malfoy" Albus replied.

"Please," he said with a smile, "call me Draco" he said. "I've just left Scorpius, he should be in the Three Broomsticks waiting for you"

"We were just on our way to meet him" Luke said.

"I hope you two had a nice time" Albus said to his friend's father.

"We did" Draco said, "I hope you have a nice evening now, I best be off" Draco spun on the spot and with a crack, he was gone. The four continued towards the Three Broomsticks and inside the old pub. Albus quickly scanned the pub having been the first one inside but couldn't spot his blonde haired friend. The bar man was a middle aged man and stood leaning on the counter, looking over everyone in the pub.

"Excuse me sir" Albus said to the barman who turned and looked down on him.

"What can I do for you, young Potter?" the man asked. Albus was used to people knowing who he was so this didn't bother him.

"We were just wondering if you've seen a blonde haired boy about my height, pale skin, pointy chin"

"A young Malfoy boy is it?" the barman asked and Albus was rather shocked. "Yeah, I've seen him. Came in about five minutes ago but went back outside almost straight away. Someone called him, I think"

"Thanks" Luke said as they turned around and made their way back outside. They scrambled back onto Hogsmeade Main Street and scanned the area for the easily identifiable blonde hair of Scorpius Malfoy but with no luck. It neared seven o clock which was when they were to return to the castle. Professors Kelly and Longbottom ordered all the students to begin the return journey to the castle now. Unsure of what to do, they remained unmoved on the street as people began to file past them.

"Potter, O' Brien, O' Malley, Wilson" Professor Kelly called. "Get a move on, come on now" he shouted at them, walking towards them. They still didn't move.

"But Professor," Albus said, "we can't find Scorpius"

"I'm sure" the Potions Master said sternly, "that he has gone with someone else. I'm sure that once you get back to the castle, you will find him easily. Now come on, start moving"

Reluctantly, Albus, Luke, Emily and Ashley began to move with the crowd as they clouds parted and allowed rays of light to pass through the gaps. The crowd carried the despondent students make their way back to Hogwarts as they continued to scan the crowd for Scorpius. Just as they were about to exit the village, they spotted the blonde hair of Scorpius and it didn't look very good. Unsure whether or not to call out, Albus steered his friends in Scorpius' direction.


	14. Saving Scorpius

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and worlds created by and belonging to J.K Rowling**

**14: Saving Scorpius**

"Keep moving" Professor Fulton called over the top of the crowd. Albus looked over his shoulder and the Professor nodded and motioned for them to start walking. The four still didn't move and looked back down the alley where they had seen Scorpius. He was now gone however and they had no idea where. The majority of the crowd had passed and it was only the last few stragglers that continued to pass by them. Professors Fulton and Longbottom had returned with the majority of the crowd while Professor Kelly made sure to round up everybody else. Once again he encountered the Slytherin four and insisted that they return to the castle.

"This is not a choice, this is not a negotiation. Return now or you will all be placed on detention and it will also mean that you won't be playing the next Quidditch. We'll have to forfeit." Professor Kelly said sternly. Albus and Ashley each turned and began to walk pushing Emily and Luke ahead of them. Professor Kelly walked behind them until the returned to the common room and, unsurprisingly, Scorpius was nowhere to be found. Albus went up to the dormitory just to make sure that Scorpius wasn't lying on his bed. Lying on Albus' bed was a letter. He approached it and looked at it. The envelope was blank.

Reaching out his left hand, Albus picked it up and inspected it. Opening the flap at the back, Albus withdrew a sheet of parchment that had been folded in half. Unfolding the brittle yellow parchment, Albus didn't recognise the handwriting at all except for the tidy scrawl at the bottom which belonged to Scorpius and it was there because Scorpius had signed his name at the bottom of the letter. Albus brought his eyes back to the top and began to read.

_Albus Severus Potter,  
I have orchestrated the kidnapping of Scorpius Malfoy, he needs to learn to travel in groups. I have influences on what you may refer to as the 'Dark Side'. I want you to meet me in Hogsmeade tonight at midnight and I'll give you your friend back._

_Come alone_

Then at the bottom was Scorpius' signature. Albus didn't know what to do. He pocketed the letter and returned to the common room and sat in a chair beside Luke and listened to his three friends talk about what had happened.

"What are we supposed to do?" Emily asked worriedly.

"I don't know" Ashley replied. "There's no way for us to get back to Hogsmeade without getting caught"

"Even if we do get back to Hogsmeade, we don't know where he is. It'll be tough find him" Luke added. At this, Albus took the letter from his pocket and placed it, in its folded state, on the table.

"What's this?" Ashley asked.

"Just read it" Albus said quietly, he was nearly hoarse. He was worried, he was annoyed, angry he had so many different emotions right now that he couldn't explain them all and he couldn't bring himself to speak in anymore than a hoarse whisper. Emily and Ashley read the letter before passing to Luke. Once the Irish boy had finished reading, he placed the letter back down on the table. There was a tense silence between the four before Ashley spoke.

"What are you going to do Al?" she asked.

"No idea Ash, no idea." He responded. "Suppose I'm going to have to go. I'll use my invisibility cloak to get out of the castle and work from there."

"We're not going to let you go alone" Luke said.

"Yeah" Emily agreed.

"You guys saw the letter. He'll probably kill Scorpius or something if you all come" Albus said. He wasn't prepared to lose another friend.

"We'll stay under the invisibility cloak."

Reluctantly, Albus agreed that they could come along but was adamant that they remain under the invisibility cloak and that they stay well behind him once they enter the village. They worked out the finer points of the plan and at about half eleven, the four huddled under the Invisibility Cloak and made their way out of the almost empty common room. The dungeons were abandoned this late at night and getting out of the castle was easy as they made their way up the steps and into the Entrance Hall. The doors were closed but unlocked and they pushed them open just enough for them to slide out and were sure to close the door after them. The wind made the cloak flap about at their ankles but they weren't too bothered as they exited the castle and began the walk to the exit of the Hogwarts grounds. Th hills carried them down to the exit and they were soon on the muddy path to Hogsmeade.

As they neared the village, Albus stepped out from under the cloak and walked about ten paces in front of his friends. Most of the lights were out except for those of the Three Broomsticks. As they reached the centre of the village a man stepped out from a side alley. He wore long hooded robes and if they were any colour other than black Albus was unable to tell because of the darkness.

"Albus Potter" the man said, his voice deep and loud. It sort of reminded Albus of the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice. "I'm sure you understand" he said.

"Understand what?" Albus asked but as soon as he had finished he was entwined in ropes, unable to move. He hadn't even managed to take his wand out and only hoped that his three friends didn't retaliate and they didn't. "Who are you?" Albus asked as the robed man approached.

"I suppose you could call me The Enforcer, that's what everyone else calls me." he said. "Well," he seemed to argue with himself, "everyone that knows me. We'e going to what you might call my headquarters. I like to call it 'The Hideout or HO when in public". he laughed at his own jokes. Albus wasn't sure if he was being serious or not. The Enforcer unbound Albus' leg and ordered him to walk. Closely behind Albus, the Enforcer held his wand into the young boy's back and directed him where he wanted to go.

"Why do you want me and Scorpius?" he asked as The Enforcer directed him down an alleyway and into an old abandoned building. On the inside, the building was vastly different. It was brightly lit, with light blue walls in every direction and a dark blue carpet. Everything was blue as far as Albus could see and the bright lights momentarily blinded him. Albus' eyes adjusted and there was two people dressed similar to the Enforcer sitting in front of a fire. There three or four more robed figures standing, arms by their sides and each of them, Albus could see, had a wand in their hand.

"Please Albus," the Enforcer said, "have a seat" The Enforcer pointed at one of the armchairs. "I feel you deserve an explanation about everything." The Enforcer said. At this very moment, Albus began to wonder where his friends were. Once Albus was sitting, the Enforcer broke the ropes that bound Albus. "Now, I'm sure you've read about the Dark Revivalists and the New Death Eaters. While many people believe that the two groups are the same people going by different names, they are two different groups. Michael Parker is the head of the Dark Revivalists while I am the commander of the army of New Death Eaters. We are people who were Death Eaters back in the 'good ole days' or simply believe in what the Death Eaters stood for. Our numbers have been growing and very few people know about us. I want to meet with Michael Parker and talk to him. I would be more than happy to combine our followers and pursue our goals together. He, however, will not meet with me because he thinks I will take over and lead everything. He is psychotic and uses his followers to achieve what he wants. He doesn't care about them so long as he gets what he wants"

"And that's what you want me for" Albus said. "If he knows I'm here, you think he'll come"

"You think fast Albus, perhaps it's the name Albus Potter. Two men who have received great acclaim, both had great minds but they use their influence and their power for the wrong reason. You're correct. Parker seems to have an unhealthy obsession with you. He wants to finish you off. It may have something to do with the fact your father imprisoned both his parents after the War. If you're here, he will come to finish you off and I will let you two go at it so long as I get what I want from him." the Enforcer told Albus. "As soon as you arrived in Hogsmeade, we alerted Michael Parker that you were here. We received a response not long after to tell us that he was on his way. He will be here soon. Make yourself at home" The Enforcer told Albus.

Albus sat, unable to move in the chair. He had no idea what was going on and he had no idea where Luke, Ashley or Emily were. He was also no closer to finding Scorpius. "He's in the village" one of the robed men said.

"Okay," the Enforcer's demeanour changed, it was evident in his voice, "once he gets here, let him see Albus and then bring him to the room with Malfoy. I will deal with Parker." There was a rap on the door and another of the robed men answered, wand pointed at the man at the door. "You can lower your wand" the Enforcer told the robed figure at the door. Reluctantly, the man lowered his wand and allowed a similarly robed figure enter through the door. The man who had just entered instantly stood out from the rest. Where everyone that had already been in the room wore navy robes, the man who had just entered wore robes of a deep burgundy. He pulled down the hood to reveal the face of Hogwarts former Transfiguration professor, Michael Parker.

"Welcome" the Enforcer said cheerfully. "I knew you would come" The Enforcer stepped aside to reveal Albus behind him. "It's because he's here, isn't it?" he asked. "You wouldn't meet with me unless you were certain to get something you wanted. I will give you young Albus here if we can come to an agreement." the Enforcer turned around and nodded at the man sitting in the armchair beside Albus. He quickly rose out of the armchair and grabbed Albus' arm firmly. Albus was forced to move out of the room. Parker eyed him the entire way. Albus was brought upstairs and he noticed that the interior upstairs matched what it looked like outside. It was shabby and run down looking. The floor was bare concrete and the doors and walls were dirty and looked ready to collapse at any moment. Albus was brought to the end of the hall and pushed inside the last room on the left. The door was pulled shut and Albus heard the door lock click. The window was dirty and Albus couldn't see out of it. He turned into the room and saw that Scorpius was slouched in a corner. His eyes were closed and his chest rose up and down slowly. Albus hunkered down beside Scorpius in the corner and shook him slightly. Scorpius remained in the same state, unmoving, barely breathing in the corner.

"Come on mate" Albus said, shaking Scorpius slightly harder. Once again, Scorpius didn't budge. Albus didn't know any medical spells, except for one which revived people who had been stunned. Albus fumbled inside his cloak and fumbled his wand out of a pocket. It fell to the floor and he quickly picked it up once more. He pointed the wand at his blonde haired friend. "Rennervate" Albus said. There was a bright flash of red light and nothing immediately happened.

"Damn it" Albus said, standing up and turning away. He banged his fist against the wall and ran his hand through his hair. He was rather frustrated that it hadn't worked. There was a cough from behind Albus. He turned sharply and saw that Scorpius' eyes were open and he was breathing normally once again. Albus rushed over and hunkered down beside his friend. "Good you're back mate" Albus said.

"Where am I?" he asked, his voice weaker than usual.

"We're somewhere in Hogsmeade" Albus replied. "In a building with a lot of bad guys. Come on, can you get up?" he asked his friend. Offering a helping hand, Albus pulled Scorpius to his feet. Scorpius stabilised himself against the wall.

"Who knows we're here?" Scorpius asked.

"All the people down stairs" Albus said and Scorpius gave him an 'oh you don't say' look. "Luke, Emily and Ashley. They're somewhere in Hogsmeade under the invisibility cloak. That's it"

"We have to get out of here" Scorpius said and it was Albus' turn to return to 'oh really' look at Scorpius. Scorpius tried to pull himself up but failed. Albus offered his hand and helped to pull his friend to his feet. Scorpius stabilised himself against the wall on one side and Albus on the other. His legs wobbled slightly but he soon steadied himself.

"Do you have your wand?" Albus asked. Scorpius reached inside the waistband of his jeans and produced his wand. Albus looked at him.

"Nobody will ever take my wand in there. They'll never even look there" Scorpius explained, approaching the door and trying to open it. It wouldn't budge. The blonde haired boy attempted an unlocking spell but it was absolutely no use. The room was silent and Albus could hear feet shuffling on the bare concrete in the hallway outside and it was evident that there was movement outside.

They backed away from the door and stashed their wands. A tapping on the window startled them and the two boys turned to see who was at the window but could only make out the shadowy figure of a man.


	15. Winners and Complications

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series.**

**15: Winners and Complications**

Albus and Scorpius moved away from the window and the door, backing away into the corner. There was more shuffling outside the door but it subsided about halfway down the hall. The window cracked silently into hundreds of small pieces and fell quietly onto the floor. A hand poked through and grabbed the ledge before another joined it. A man, once again wearing hooded robes, pulled himself through the window. He (or she, Albus wasn't entirely sure but thought that it looked more like a man than woman) reached his hands up and pulled down the hood. Immediately the man reached his finger to his lips, signalling for the boys to be quiet.

"Dad" Albus whispered excitedly.

"Come on." he said, beckoning for Albus and Scorpius to follow him. Harry Potter stood at the window and, levitating two brooms outside the window, ordered Albus and Scorpius to get on the same one. Scorpius sat on the back of the broom and leaned onto Albus at the front, still slightly groggy. The shuffling of feet on bare concrete grew louder and became closer. Harry repaired the cracked window and hopped onto his own broom. The door of the room opened.

"Potter, Malfoy" a voice said as the door opened. A few seconds later, Albus heard the man running from the room, obviously to alert the Enforcer that the two hostages were gone.

"Dad" Albus said again from beside his father on the broom. "Parker's in there. And so another bad guy"

"I'm on my own. We will get out of here and we can clear everything up then" Harry said. He turned left on the broom and Albus began to follow. Harry led the short journey through the darkened street of a Hogsmeade alley to a slightly brighter Hogsmeade main street. Harry dismounted his broom beside the Three Broomsticks and began to walk around the back of the building. Albus followed his father and dismounted the broom and helping Scorpius down too. They walked around the back of the Three Broomsticks and entered through a back door. Harry led them upstairs and into a small, much more private room. As Harry entered, Luke took the Invisibility Cloak off himself, Ashley and Emily. Once Albus saw his three friends, he breathed a sigh of relief.

His friends were safe, he was safe and Scorpius was safe. "How did you know where we were?" Albus asked his father.

"Two reasons" Harry said. "The first is because I have acquired a map similar to the Marauder's Map but it is of Hogsmeade and secondly... because of these three" he gestured to Luke, Emily and Ashley. "They sent me a letter or well a quick note briefly explaining what was happening. I took a look at the map and saw the three of them standing in the middle of Hogsmeade. The two of you were nowhere to be seen. I saw Michael Parker arrive in the village and readied myself to leave. The biggest mistake this Enforcer bloke made was that he said in the street of Hogsmeade where he was going. They were using a Fidelius charm and by telling Albus, he inadvertently made not only Albus but Luke, Emily and Ashley secret keepers. They were then able to tell me the location. I was able to save you then but I couldn't go back to arrest any of the guys back at the building. It would be me against how many of them?" Harry asked rhetorically. "I know you want to get him Al, but your safety and the safety of your friends is much more important right now." Harry looked down at his watch. "I've got to go, I'll walk you back to the gates but you're on your own from there. Don't get caught and try and stay out of the trouble for the rest of the year Al. And I'm sure that all your parents would say the same" Harry said as they all got up from their chairs and made their way back down the stairs and out of the Three Broomsticks via the back door except for Harry who went through the main part of the pub to leave the broomsticks he had borrowed back to their owners and their place under the bar counter.

Albus, Luke, Scorpius, Ashley and Emily walked quietly around the side of the pub and met the Head Auror out the front. "Quickly now" Harry said. They all instinctively sped up their walking and they soon reached the gates to Hogwarts, the huge winged boars looking down on them from atop the pillars. Surprisingly, the gate wasn't locked but Harry explained this.

"Neville usually visits Hannah on Tuesdays and Fridays so he probably left the gates open for when he comes back." Harry said, ushering his son and his son's friends back onto Hogwarts grounds. They walked up the pathway and reached the doors of the castle. Albus had an odd feeling that they were being followed and occasionally looked around to find that there was in fact nobody near them. Luke approached the doors and pulled by they remained firmly closed.

Scorpius, now fully recovered from whatever happened to him back in Hogsmeade, approached the door with wand in hand. "Alohomora" he said, pointing his wand at the lock. A flash of gold light erupted from his wand, Luke pulled the handle of the door once more but the unlocking spell had no effect on the door. "Should've known really" Scorpius said afterwards.

"We're locked out" Emily said resolutely. "We're going to have to until the morning and get detention and everything" she angrily.

"What are you doing out here?" a voice said from behind them. Albus turned to see a wand illuminating the face of Professor Longbottom. "You've been out long enough, time to get to bed now"

"The door's locked, Professor" Albus said.

"You're lucky I was talking to your dad. He told me you just might be out. No detention this time but if I catch you again after hours, I'll have no choice." Neville said, smiling at Albus. The Herbology professor strode past them. He got very close to the door and it clicked open. He pulled one of the doors and allowed the students to enter. They rushed through the door and away from the professor, just in case he changed his mind but Albus knew the professor well enough to know he wouldn't.

* * *

The Muggle Studies soccer tournament was almost over. Each team had only one game left in the league format of the competition. The top two teams would each go directly into the semi finals and the next four teams would contest two quarter finals. It would be concluded over the following two weekends. The last league games would be played on Saturday with the quarter finals to be played on Sunday with the semi finals and final being played the following weekend. Albus' team was second but needed a win to guarantee their semi final berth. A draw or defeat would mean waiting.

They did win, but only just. Albus scored the only goal thanks to a late penalty kick. He noticed that as the year went on, everyone seemed to get better at the Muggle game and, during the week before the finals weekend, Professor Woodward announced that they would have their exam just before Easter and would not have Muggle Studies for the rest of the year IF they passed their exam. If they didn't pass the exam, they would continue with Muggle Studies for the remainder of the year and sit another exam at the year's end. Albus knew what he had to do; pass his Muggle Studies exam and he would have those periods free after Easter.

The weekend came and they lined out on the pitch at twelve noon on Saturday morning. February twenty-ninth brought a cloudless sky as the sun shone down on the pitch. A shrill blast of the professor's whistle started the game and Albus received the ball to his feet almost instantly. He looked for a team mate and kicked the ball as hard as he could toward the two forwards. He watched as the ball sailed over the head of his two forwards as well as the goalkeeper and hit the bar. Albus realised he nearly scored from about forty yards away from the goal.

The game continued and the longer it went on, the longer the team wearing Manchester United shirts were dominant but still hadn't managed to score. The professor ended the game and it was scoreless. They were to play extra time but once that ended, the game was still scoreless despite obvious domination of the team in red. A penalty shootout would decide the game.

Four goals each in the shootout, the team wearing Chelsea shirts, the opposition, had taken five, missing their fifth. Albus was to take the fifth for his team. If he scored, they would win. A miss would mean a continuation of the shootout. Albus strode quickly up to the ball, planted his right foot beside and with a deft swing of the left boot, Albus chipped the ball right down the middle of the goal. The goalkeeper had dived to the right meaning the ball floated over the line, giving them the victory by the narrowest of margins in the penalty shootout. His team mates mobbed him but captain Powell was quick to remind them that they still had a final to play.

The final was much more straightforward. The reds dominated possession of the ball, passing it around the opposition and finding the back of the net three times to the one of the opposition. Professor Woodward's whistle ended the game and she presented the trophy, a small silver cup, to Jason Powell the winning captain.

There was little celebration. All the students were in different houses and they returned to their common rooms. Professor McGonagall congratulated them at dinner but all the focus was now building towards the following weekends double header of Quidditch action. Slytherin were to play Hufflepuff while Gryffindor would play Ravenclaw later on that day. Hufflepuff looked a much more better team and while Albus didn't openly fear the yellow and blacks, he was worried that they could cause an upset.

Classes didn't go well for Albus that week. He failed an exam in Defence Against the Dark Arts, was given a rather hard slap on the back of the head from Scorpius during History of Magic. Professor Binns had apparently asked him a question but quickly moved on, either not bothering to wait for an answer or deeming that it wasn't very important. Albus glared at his friend angrily, Scorpius had hit him fairly hard and when it was unexpected, it seemed to hurt even more.

They received a huge essay in both Transfiguration and Herbology as well as more homework than Albus felt necessary in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Arithmancy and even from Hagrid in Care of Magical Creatures. The half giant professor seemed to be rushing through everything, giving them lots of homework, as if he was rushing to get the course finished. Albus rushed on Friday night to complete all his homework, as he had done every evening that week. They had practiced for Quidditch the night before but it was at eight o clock and they didn't get to practice too much before the fading light began to become an issue. Albus had kept the team for another half hour in the dressing room discussing the tactics they would employ.

"Their strength is their Chasers" Albus said to them. "Beaters, Chasers, Scorpius, you all have to be ready. If we can stop them coming through the middle, force them out wide, we can stop the damage. These guys steamrolled what the Ravenclaws said was their best team in a number of years-"

"But they're not great at all" Scorpius said.

"They're not as bad as they could be but Hufflepuff made it look far easier than it probably was. Everytime a person in yellow and black has the ball, we have to get in and close off the space. If the Chasers can get in in pairs and try and win the Quaffle, do it."

"What about what you have to do captain?" Vince McMahon asked. "You still have to catch the Snitch"

"Don't worry about me. I know what I have to do but there's no point in me catching the Snitch if we're fifteen or twenty goals behind. If we win, we're in the final." Albus said. "G'wan" Albus said to his team. "Great Hall for breakfast at ten and no later on Saturday morning" The team began to move around the changing rooms, gathering their things before they left.

And as he tried to concentrate on finishing a Transfiguration essay, different thoughts began to swirl around in his head. Quidditch was coming to the forefront of his mind but since the night in Hogsmeade, Michael Parker and the Enforcer began to become increasingly more at the front of his mind. He wondered why the Enforcer had targeted him, brought him to Hogsmeade but not harming him in any way. Scorpius, on the other hand, seemed to be the bait in everything. At the end of the previous school year, it was Scorpius who endured the most pain physically and mentally. This year, at Hogsmeade, it was Scorpius who was targeted. He then began to think, it was as if a jigsaw was fitting together in his head. He realised why he was wanted but Scorpius was sought after.

_The name _he thought to himself. The Malfoy name meant a lot to Dark Wizards. Lucius Malfoy was the right hand man to Voldemort and was now involved with Michael Parker. Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater but had more than redeemed himself since. They all thought that because Scorpius was a Malfoy, he would be easy to get onto their side. They felt that he would be an ideal addition to their forces and they targeted him all because of the aim. While Albus was the gold trophy because he was a Potter, Scorpius was the diamond that you had to get down and dirty to dig it out and get it. The influence of the dark witches and wizards seemed to be one thing, but the influence of a Malfoy was something far greater. They were using the the influence of one Malfoy, Lucius, to gain the influnce of another Malfoy, the youngest Malfoy, Scorpius Malfoy.

Just as Albus thought about Scorpius, himself and Luke joined Albus. "Hey mate, you look like you could use a break from homework" Scorpius said.

"Yeah" Albus agreed. He sat back in the chair. "Can't concentrate because of the Quidditch. I feel like there's way more pressure on me because I'm captain now" Albus said.

"Not to mention you've never lost" Luke added with a smile.

"That too" Albus agreed.

"Look Al," Scorpius said, "no one wants us to win outside this house so tomorrow, just go out and do the usual business to get us into the final and just to annoy the rest of the school. Weather is great tonight, it should be a great day for Quidditch tomorrow."

"Yeah, you're probably right" Albus said to his friends. "I'm gonna go to bed. See ya in the morning"

Scorpius was ready to tell Albus that it was only half nine but he was gone before Scorpius got the chance. Albus went and lay on his bed and was soon asleep lying on top of the covers, still in his jeans and t-shirt.

* * *

Albus awoke early the following morning. His watch told him it was nearly half past six in the morning. All attempts to go back to sleep failed and so, Albus got out of bed and Albus changed his clothes, putting on a fresh t-shirt and a clean pair of jeans. He quietly padded through the dormitory and down the stairs into the common room. It was empty. The fire had burned out completely leaving behind only a pile of ashes. The silence was almost eerie. He was in a much better mood than the previous night. A good night's sleep cleared his head and he was excited and focused for the upcoming match. Albus left the common room and walked towards the exit. The dungeons seemed much colder this early in the morning and he walked quicker and reached the Entrance Hall. Caretaker Argus Filch stood in the Entrance Hall. The ends of his lips curved upwards into a smile at the sight of a student out of bed.

"Breaking curfew" Filch said.

"Breaking curfew?" Albus asked quizzically. "It's nearly seven in the morning" Albus replied. Filch's face dropped and, without waiting for a response from the caretaker, walked past him and out the main doors of the castle. Albus strode through the grounds, down the slop, dewy lawns and towards the Quidditch pitch. He hopped over the low fence that encircled the pitch and walked out to the centre of the grass. He looked around, observing the silence, the empty stands that towered around the pitch. He enjoyed the relaxing sensation of being able to stand on the Quidditch pitch without the weight of expectation of the entire Slytherin house on his shoulders.

Albus exhaled, left the pitch and began the return to the castle. The dew was lifting from the lawns but the overhead conditions were worsening. Not too far away, black clouds loomed and Albus didn't like the look of them. The castle doors were slightly askew and the castle was still as lifeless as when Albus had left save for the odd early morning straggler or two who preferred the quiet serenity of the early morning as opposed to the hustle and bustle of breakfast later in the morning.

The young Slytherin returned to the common room and dropped into the largest, comfiest chair closest to the now burning fire. Albus began dozing off and was soon asleep in the chair.

* * *

The Slytherin Quidditch team left the Great Hall at twenty minutes to eleven. Scorpius had woken Albus an hour earlier and they had readied their things in their dormitories, left them on the bed and made their way to breakfast. The other five players of the team gathered at the end of the Slytherin table and ate their breakfast together. The Hufflepuff team was first to leave, followed moments later by the Slytherins. Albus led his team out of the hall and they were soon sitting in the changing rooms beneath the Slytherin grandstand.

Professor Kelly was the kitman of sorts. He had retrieved everyone's gear from their beds and brought it down to the changing rooms. The robes were each hung up with the rest of the gear, including each person's broom, placed on the bench underneath the hanger. All those quiet conversations between the group stopped once they marched under the grandstand and into their changing rooms. The potions professor was just leaving. "Good luck today" he said.

It was completely silent as everyone pulled on their robes and pads. The clock ticked away, edging ever closer to eleven o clock. Unspoken, the team stood up and centered Albus. "What can I say? Win is the only option. Win and we're in the final. That's it." Albus said. Everyone nodded as they made their way to the exit. Albus grabbed his broom and led his team out onto the pitch.

The formalities followed. The two captains shook hands, referee Oliver Wood explained what he expected of the two teams. "Slytherin win, they're in the final, simple as that" Rory Davies on commentary said. "If Hufflepuff win, it gets rather complicated but we'll cross that bridge if we have to."

The game began and Albus was hovering high above the game when exactly what he didn't want to happen, happened. The Hufflepuff chasers were very close together and they took the Quaffle. The black and yellow clad beaters drove the Bludgers towards the Slytherin defence. The Hufflepuff chasers raced through the middle and the three on one had only one outcome; a goal. Scorpius could do nothing to prevent it going in.

The game restarted and two Hufflepuff chasers closed down Ashley and won a turn over of the Quaffle. They scored another goal. After five minutes of the game Slytherin finally managed to get some sort of a foothold. They were, however, losing by sixty points to no score. The dark clouds that had worried Albus earlier had blown overhead and just as Slytherin got their first shot at goal, the skies opened and rain began to teem down. A flash of lightening was quickly followed by a clap of thunder. The weather conditions had worsened severely. Albus could barely see five feet in front of him, let alone the Snitch. He began to move about the pitch, squinting his eyes for any sign of the small golden ball.

The game dragged on and it began to even out. Hufflepuff's goals were all the same, the chasing trio charged through the middle, moving the red ball between them with lots of pace. Slytherin on the other hand managed a more delicate approach, holding onto the ball until they could find a pace and eventually finding a hole in the Hufflepuff defence and clinically finishing their goals. Albus saw a glint of gold and began to accelerate as the rain pounded into his face. He squinted and raced for the ball. Whether or not Rory Davies was still commentating or not, Albus didn't know nor did he care. The rain had eased considerably but it was still tough to see. He could hear the voice of Rory Davies, encouraging Albus to go faster.

He raced towards the Snitch but felt a sudden thud into his midsection. He realised that his broom was no longer under him and he was falling. He had only just been off the ground and he thudded into the ground and someone landed on top of him. Albus heard the shrill whistle of Oliver Wood, announcing, Albus presumed a penalty but it was quickly followed by another whistle. Albus recognised the way it sounded. The game was over. He flopped back onto the ground. He had lost, Slytherin had lost.

"And that's the game." Rory Davies announced, the anger and disgust clear in his voice. "A cynical tackle, one that is not in the spirit of the game, brought Slytherin Seeker off his broom and onto the grass allowing his own team's Seeker to win the game. Hufflepuff win" he said, his voice rather quiet at the end.

Albus knew he could do nothing about it. What had happened to him was a foul but even when a foul was called, the Seeker could still catch the Snitch. He reached the swift conclusion in his head that it had been a smart tactic even if it wasn't something that should be done.

Albus heaved himself off the wet ground and retrieved his broom. He trudged off the field and straight into the dressing room. It was the first time he had ever lost a Quidditch match in his near three years at Hogwarts. He threw his pads to his seat in the dressing room. He wasn't annoyed about being beaten by Hufflepuff, he was furious about the manner in which they had lost. The rest of the team entered shortly after and tried to console Albus.

"It's not your fault Al" Scorpius said, sitting beside his friend.

"I wasn't blaming myself" he said quietly to Scorpius. "I wasn't blaming any of you. I was blaming them." He spoke louder next. "Right everyone…" he said to the team, "I know that it's been a while since we've lost but we played well today. We coped with their power and pace really well. We held our own and no one in this room is at fault for our loss. They were within the rules catching the Snitch when we had a penalty, that's allowed. They should be embarrassed by their tactics. You all did well, we're just going to have to forget about this game tomorrow and start working for the next game. Be as angry as you want today and get it out of your system. By the next practice, I want you all to have forgotten about it, these things happen" Albus said. He felt that he himself would have the hardest job adhering to his own advice.

* * *

The weather had cleared up and the second game got underway. The Slytherin team stayed and watched the short game as Gryffindor steamrolled Ravenclaw scoring twelve goals and catching the Snitch inside the first ten minutes. This made the standings edge nearer sever complications. The final pairing would go right down to the wire.

The grandstands emptied and yet, Albus and Scorpius were the last to make the walk back to the castle. Albus got that feeling that someone was following him but each time he turned, he saw there was no one there and, for some reason, this made him more paranoid about someone trailing them.

Upon reaching the castle, Albus made Scorpius wait for a couple of minutes and, when no one entered, they continued their journey to the dungeons. Albus had never been in a common room after losing a Quidditch match and he realised it was much less fun than when they won. Everyone went about their own business quietly. Albus and Scorpius quickly located Luke. The Irish boy was quick to console Albus and Scorpius about the unusual manner of their defeat and this made Albus even angrier.


	16. Growing Suspicion

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series.**

**16: Growing Suspicion**

The Slytherins had gotten over their loss against Hufflepuff in the Quidditch and were now going about their day to day business. March drew to a close as the Easter exam of Muggle Studies loomed closer. The weather got better and students were able to spend some evening outside studying or doing whatever they pleased. Albus, on the other hand, seemed to have more and more homework each week and for the third consecutive week, the latest being the first week of April, Albus had received a detention from Professor Fulton. She cited different reasons each week but the detentions weren't the usual ones handed out by professors. Each week she asked Albus about different things in his life and he often answered confusedly or with the half truth. He felt like the professor was trying to get to know Albus personally and, while there were many things he wasn't sure of, he was sure he didn't want that.

Albus, like his father told him, kept up to date with the headlines in the newspapers but there was no news to interest the young boy.

The Muggle Studies exam was soon upon Albus, knowing that he would soon be having a break for Easter, was more than up to studying and passing the test. He walked into the classroom quietly confident of his knowledge of Muggles and had no doubts when he took his seat beside Luke. Professor Woodward handed them out their exam papers and told them to start. The middle Potter child read the questions.

_1) Describe the game of Muggle football in detail. Include; the basic skills, rules and any other details you deem important._

_2) Muggles use means other than magic for many things, including; travel, and entertainment.__  
__a) Name three means of travel Muggles use__  
__b) Name on electronic device Muggles use for entertainment purpose and explain how it works_

'Two questions only' Albus thought to himself but looking at the examination paper, it was everything that the class had covered throughout the year. He worried that if the whole third year course was able to fit into two questions then Professor Woodward would be expecting two essay type answers. He fingered his quill, dipped it into the ink and unrolled a scroll of parchment. Thinking for only a moment, Albus began to bring his hand across the page writing his answers, careful not to smudge the ink as his writing hand, his left hand, came across the parchment.

He wrote everything he knew about the game of football and included all the small details he could remember, the ones you only really learned about if you played the game or studied it extensively. Things like the little tug you would give an opposing player's shorts when you're running with a ball, of course he didn't include this but it did go through his head. It was the little things that Albus really wanted to include, to define his answer from everybody else's.

He finished writing about the game he had played this year quite a lot and moved on to what he had learned in the classroom. The second question took him a lot longer as the words didn't seem to flow seamlessly as it did on the previous question. He did, however, manage to answer the questions the best he felt he could and handed the answer sheet to the professor with only a few minutes of the double class remaining. Professor Woodward quietly whispered that Albus could and he wasted no time in packing up his things and leaving the classroom.

Luke had already gone and he was one of the last to leave so the walk from the Muggle Studies classroom back to the common room. It was still a few minutes until the last class of the day ended so the corridors were empty. He rounded a corner only to see the back of the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Fulton. He tried to turn and round the corner before she did, hoping the professor wouldn't see him but he heard his name called.

"Potter" she said loudly. Albus slowly turned to face one of his least favourite professors.

"Yes" he said mid turn.

"Just the boy I was look for, come" she turned and beckoned for Albus to follow him. Albus went against his gut feeling which was to turn and run as fast as he could back the way he came and followed the professor. He had to jog a little to catch up with the professor. He strode around the corner, closing the gap and was soon a respectable distant from Professor Fulton. She turned another corner and quickly into a small office which Albus recognised as the private office and living quarters of the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor having previously visited it when his father occupied it. "Sit" she ordered and Albus dropped himself into a shabby seat the near side of the desk. The professor sat opposite him, a small wooden desk dividing them.

"So Mr Potter," she said, smiling slightly, "I would like you to tell me what happened to you the night you went to Hogsmeade"

"What?" Albus blurted out immediately, almost before the professor had finished speaking. He thought his father was the only person who knew about that. 'Well,' he thought to himself, 'I wouldn't be surprised if Professor McGonagall knew he snuck out to Hogsmeade. She seemed to have a knack of knowing everything that went on inside the castle. She did, of course, learn from Albus Dumbledore'

"You heard me. The night you snuck into Hogsmeade. I want to know what happened" she repeated again, her voice silky and calm. "So far as I know, you met a man, went with him and waited for a certain former professor of this school by the name of Parker. Then you escaped. I want to know the details between Parker arriving and you escaping"

"I don't know anything that happened" Albus said.

"Liar" she said, the calmness leaving her voice. She seemed to be angered with the lack of information she was receiving.

"I'm not lying" he said, his anger growing too. "I was put in a room once he arrived and I escaped before they came back" Albus said. With that he stood up, turned swiftly on his heel and left the small office.

Albus stormed back to the common room and up to his dormitory. He unceremoniously dropped his bag onto his trunk at the foot of his bed and dropped himself onto his four-poster.

* * *

"So you think she's working for someone else trying to find out what Parker and this Enforcer bloke were talking about?" Luke asked

"I don't think that that's accurate" Scorpius said. "Actually, I'm fairly sure she didn't want to know what they were talking about but she wanted to know what _happened._" Scorpius said. "I got a letter from my father earlier. He said that he knows a few guys who he thinks is working for Parker and he overheard people of the same mould saying that he hasn't been seen in a while. Now, he has been going away for weeks, sometimes months at a time but he has usually brought someone with him. This time, he went alone and they think he's in danger."

"Where did your dad hear this?" Albus asked Scorpius.

"He didn't say exactly, he does that a lot. He writes in codes and stuff, I'm really the only person who can understand it but from what I gather from the letter, he heard it in a dodgy pub somewhere or something of the like"

"Maybe the Enforcer guy captured him" Luke suggested.

"You might be right" Albus said, remembering what the Enforcer said. "There's one thing that he said to me that I didn't tell you guys. He said he wanted to join forces with Parker. He said that their aims were similar and that they would be stronger together than they are divided. Maybe the two of them are together working something out"

"Maybe" Scorpius said, deep in thought. "You could be right but we don't really know. There's loads of possibilities that have to be considered until he know for sure" Scorpius said and Albus knew that he spoke wisely, spoke sensible words. There were, Albus knew, plenty of other possibilities but he had a feeling that it was the one and only possibility that they had considered. He knew that he should tell his father but he decided to wait a little longer, wait until he found out more about everything; the relationship between the Enforcer and Michael Parker; what part, if any, Professor Fulton played in the rise of dark wizards. It was, Albus knew, dangerous to keep it all between himself and his friends but it didn't bother him, he knew if it was his father he wouldn't tell anybody.

* * *

The week came to an end bringing the two weeks of Easter break. The teachers didn't seem to think that just because there were no classes for two weeks that the students couldn't do homework. Albus had homework in every subject over the Easter. Saturday morning came and the train ride back to London was a subdued affair. Albus slept for the majority of the way and was only awoken when Rose shook him rather violently to wake him and ask if he knew who was picking them up.

"I dunno" Albus replied groggily, rubbing his eyes and sitting up on the seat. "My mum probably"

"That's what I was thinking"

"Then why did you have to ask?" Albus asked Rose, slightly angry about being woken up.

"I was just wondering if you knew"

"I do have a brother and sister as well"

"I know but I just found you first" Rose said, turning and leaving the compartment. Albus slouched back into the corner and tried to go back to sleep but it was unsuccessful because Scorpius and Luke both called him.

"Don't bother" Scorpius said. "We're about ten minutes from King's Cross" Albus readjusted himself in his seat once more and looked out the window which was dotted with droplets of rain. The sun was setting as Albus watched and the train soon rounded a corner and began to slow as it pulled into the station. The scarlet steam engine jerked to a stop as the doors opened and the crowd poured onto the platform. Albus gathered his things and made his way off the train pulling his trunk and owl cage behind him. Wiggy, Albus' owl, hooted as he passed through the platform. Albus easily spotted the red hair of his mother with his younger sister by her side. James was clambering through the crowd on the other side and the two Potter boys reached their mother and sister at almost the same time.

"James, Albus!" she said happily. "Come on" Ginny said. Albus continued to pull his trunk and he saw that James was doing the same. They reached the wall which connected the platform to Muggle station and Albus and James each grabbed a trolley and placed their trunks and respective cages on them. The boys quickly caught up with their mother and they departed the train station onto the streets of London. The journey home seemed quicker than usual and when Albus asked about the speed of the car, Ginny confided that the vehicle had been magically enhanced.

Grimmauld Place was to host the family's Easter celebrations and people began arriving throughout the day, Charlie being the first and closely followed by Molly and Arthur Weasley as well as Ron, Hermione, Rose and the youngest Weasley, Hugo.

Albus enjoyed being able to stay at home instead of going to the Burrow. He loved the Burrow but, for one, he hated sharing a room with James and second, he enjoyed the space and privacy of Grimmauld Place because there was only so much you could put up with before needing to be alone for a period of time.

Funnily, the last person to arrive was the owner of the house. Albus' father had been working late and it was around eleven o clock before he returned to Grimmauld Place. Albus was happy to greet his father and he wanted to talk to him about his growing suspicions of his fathers successor at Hogwarts but that would have to wait until tomorrow when Albus and his father had a tad bit more privacy than he had at the moment in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place which housed almost the entire Weasley family bar Percy who, as an assistant to the Minister, was working late for the upcoming Minister's ceremony which would see him continue at the helm of the Ministry of Magic for a fifth five year term.

* * *

"Wait, say it all again" Ron asked.

"He doesn't need to tell it again" Harry said turning to his best friend. "He was talking for about ten minutes. I heard it all an-"

"Well explain it to me quickly then" Ron asked. Albus sat looking at his father and uncle. He regained his breath and waited for a response from his father.

"There's two bad guys with equally large armies. One of them wants them to join up, the other doesn't. Their aim is unclear as of now but I have a few ideas what they could be. Albus thinks that Irene Fulton is part of one of these groups. Also, Michael Parker has allegedly gone missing. None of his followers have seen or heard from him in weeks."

"Right, I understand now. Go on" Ron said.

"I'm sure, Albus," Harry said, "that you know I can officially do nothing about a professor with a clean record. We raided the house in Hogsmeade and they were gone. It looked like there never anyone there. We are doing our best to track Parker and that Enforcer bloke but our numbers are in short supply. We have a big recruiting drive but it takes time to train everybody and then even some of them only want to be desk Aurors for a few years. Do all the paper work and that. Anyway, I'm getting away from the point. We're doing our best. I called in a few favours from friends and they've given me leads but there's only so much we can do. We have a special task force, it includes our best Aurors. You know John Wilson, Ashley's dad? He's part of it but he's a desk Auror. He's brilliant at following paper trails and doing paper work. He can find the trail and point us in the right direction. Six Aurors are dedicated to finding Parker and now this Enforcer guy. The most important thing to remember Albus is that we are here. We can and will find these guys. Don't go doing anything stupid, don't get yourself into bother. You don't have to fight this alone. That's what I did as a kid and far too many people lost their lives. Let us take care of us and the fatalities will be a minimum." Harry warned. Albus nodded his head but knew that if he was to get involved and he couldn't get the information to his father, he would take matters into his own hands and he was sure that his friends would help.

"I know dad" Albus replied.

"You have to promise me that you will try your best not to get involved in anything that might get you into trouble."

"I promise dad" Albus lied. He knew he would do his best to fulfill this promise but if he had to act, he would. Harry smiled as he got up and left the room.

"Time for bed" Harry said. "It's getting late" Albus was ready to argue but thought better of it and returned to his bedroom and began to think about everything his father had told him.


End file.
